Polestar 2 must drive 50-112,000 km. eg to balance emissions with the combustion engine Volvo XC40

Polestar has published its own research into carbon emissions from the production Polestar 2 and the similarly sized Volvo XC40 combustion engine. According to the argument, one can get the impression that the electrical manufacturer gently discourages (!) from his car to encourage Volvo’s combustion.

Polestar wants to make us realize that Volvos internal combustion isn’t so bad?

As Thomas Ingenlath, President of Polestar, said: “Manufacturers are not always honest about the environmental impact of their products. This is not right. We must represent everything as it is, even if the truth is not always pleasant.the source) This “dissatisfaction with reality” is also reflected in other parts of the publication, although the conclusions drawn from the study are similar to those reached by other organizations, such as T&E.

> Production and operation of electric vehicles in Poland and other EU countries and CO2 emissions [raport T&E]

And what is the conclusion? Well, making a gasoline Volvo XC40 causes emissions [ekwiwalentu] 14 tons of carbon dioxide. “Right”, because various greenhouse gases are considered, which are converted into CO₂. The Volvo XC40 drive adds another 41 tonnes to the balance sheet, so emissions account for around 25 percent of total emissions.

Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2 on pre-production delivery (c) Volvo

At the same time, the production of the Polestar 2 and the battery requires the emission of 24 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is 78.6 percent more than the combustion engine car, although both cars have not yet traveled a kilometer.

An electric car and a combustion engine car are a burden on the environment

The Polestar 2’s life-cycle operation adds another 23 tonnes to the equation as long as the energy comes from a variety of sources. So the difference seems small (55 vs 47 tons of CO₂eq): The Polestar 2 has to travel 112,000 kilometers to start doing better in terms of emissions than the Volvo XC40.. In the European energy mix, the required mileage drops to 78,000 km (14 tons), when charging the car with wind energy – up to 50,000 km (0.4 tons, the source):

Reports from other parts of the world show similar levels of production parity (2-8 years depending on mileage). However, researchers are increasingly identifying that The rapidly changing energy mix means that inventory becomes out of date – electric cars look better and better every year compared to combustion-powered competitors:

> New TU Eindhoven report: Electricity emits very little CO2, even after battery production

This is because car manufacturers are increasingly demanding that their suppliers make Li-ion cells using renewable energy. The falling price of photovoltaic cells and the increasing number of wind farms make renewable energy cheaper and more accessible.

Opening photo: First Polestar 2(c) presented in Europe Polestar, July 29, 2020