Environmental Record of E-Cars: A Tesla Model Y Is Hardly a World Savior

After the start of Tesla Model Y production in Grünheide, Brandenburg, the euphoria among manufacturers, customers, and politicians is high. However, along with environmental concerns regarding a factory in a water protection area, there are also increasing voices doubting whether vehicles like the Model Y can truly be sustainable. Spiegel Online has closely examined the overall climate balance of the "made in Brandenburg" Model Y and, considering numerous factors, arrives at a mixed conclusion, which fundamentally also applies to other high-end electric SUVs in the two-ton class.

Starting with the electricity mix in Brandenburg, which is still traditionally determined by lignite, the state chancellery asserts that this must not be relevant for the Tesla factory. The energy demand is to be met "as far as possible from locally and regionally sourced, renewable energy." They point to the photovoltaic system on the roof. Natural gas is only to be used for paint and casting processes due to their high energy intensity.

Battery as a major CO2 block

For the large "block" of the battery, e-mobility expert Auke Hoekstra from TU Eindhoven calculates an officially empty 1,995 kg Model Y Performance with an 82 kWh lithium-ion storage at a comparatively good 65 kg CO2 per kWh of battery, equating to 5.3 tons. Incidentally, the battery alone weighs 530 kg, still lighter than some competitors and the Model S or X. It will take some time before the new, energy- and water-saving 4860-cell technology is used in Grünheide.

The Austin plant has priority here. Until then, the 2170 cells will probably come from LG Energy Solutions, whose production in South Korea would involve almost twice the CO2 surcharge, even higher from Chinese LG production. Whether the reduction of the critical raw material cobalt with the now equally critical raw material nickel makes such a big environmental difference remains open according to the Spiegel authors.

Bodywork: Aluminum as an Energy-Intensive Choice

Apart from the battery, the bodywork of the chassis can also be assessed more concretely, where Tesla now opts for light but energy-intensive aluminum. According to the Austrian Federal Office, this results in approximately 12.8 tons of CO2. This definitely mars the balance sheet and would only be justifiable if green electricity were actually used. Furthermore, Tesla aims to save energy through reduced welding processes, which would allow the shell to be made from just four bodywork parts, perhaps even "in one piece" in the future.

A considerable amount of energy is ultimately required for the massive electric motors, two of which are installed in the high-performance Model Y. Here, the Austrians estimate 4.5 kilos per kilowatt of power, which would amount to 1.86 tons for the e-SUV, though likely significantly more due to the all-wheel drive with two electric motors that require a lot of the rare earth metal neodymium. On top of that, there's another good ton for components like converters, power distributors, and chargers. This results in a total of 21 tons of climate gases.

Economical in Operation - For Its Weight Class

At least, the Model Y is said to be very economical in operation for its weight and size class. According to the ADAC Ecotest, a Chinese Model Y actually consumes 22.6 kWh/100 km compared to the 17.1 kWh/100 km stated by the manufacturer. This corresponds to 113 g CO2/km in the German electricity mix and well-to-wheel calculation. A self-sufficient owner with their own photovoltaic supply could, of course, achieve a better balance. The climate amortization is also dependent on the electricity mix, which could occur after 40,000 kilometers when compared to a similarly sized combustion engine vehicle.

With more green electricity in the system, the vehicle would also become "greener," according to expert Hoekstra. He also considers a "climate-neutral" production, as many manufacturers aim for, to be realistic in the long term, where the entire supply chain is powered by renewable electricity and steel and aluminum are produced with hydrogen. However, this is still a long way off, not just from Grünheide. Hoekstra also poses the crucial question, even if there were theoretically emission-free electric cars:

"That does not yet mean that private car ownership for eleven billion people is sustainable."

Mobility expert Wolfgang Lohbeck also questioned the environmental balance of vehicles like the Tesla Model Y to Spiegel Online.

"Of course, they are efficient when you're moving over two tons. The question is: Do we need to drive such heavy cars? This cannot be a foundation for the mobility culture of the future," explained the former Greenpeace traffic campaigner.

He fears a greatly increasing electricity demand when replacing combustion vehicles with electric ones in terms of sheer numbers, especially with the high charging capacities. He considers the argument of "renewable energies" to be "nonsense."

"It is precisely due to electromobility that the phase-out of nuclear and coal energy is jeopardized," he asserts.