Debate Intensifies Over EV Climate Impact and EU Phaseout
German politicians question the EU's 2035 combustion engine ban, citing new lifecycle data, while independent experts argue electric vehicles remain significantly cleaner over their full life.
A fresh report from the Technical University of Munich has reignited the debate over the European Union's plan to phase out internal combustion engines by 2035. The study suggests that when manufacturing and energy generation are factored in, battery-electric vehicles reduce carbon emissions by only 41% on average compared to gas-powered cars.
Markus Söder, the premier of Bavaria, has publicly called for a halt to the phaseout, arguing that the current regulatory framework misrepresents the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. Critics of the EU policy, including prominent German media outlets, assert that the regulation unfairly favors electric models by ignoring the carbon footprint associated with battery production and the electricity mix.
Bavarian Premier Challenges EU Standards
Söder’s position aligns with major automotive brands headquartered in Bavaria, including BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. The TUM report, which these manufacturers have supported, argues that emissions should be assessed across the entire life cycle of a vehicle. This includes the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing process, and the source of the electricity used to charge the vehicle.
According to the study, the current EU regulation focuses exclusively on tailpipe emissions, effectively classifying electric vehicles as climate-neutral during operation. The report contends that this approach fails to account for the significant carbon output generated during the production of batteries and the variable carbon intensity of the European power grid.
Experts Question Report’s Novelty
Georg Bieker, a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation, described the TUM analysis as a quick assessment that offers no new insights. He noted that the importance of life-cycle assessments in evaluating vehicle emissions is already well-established in climate and mobility research.
Bieker co-authored a 2025 study that examined the global warming potential of passenger cars sold in the EU. This comprehensive analysis found that battery-electric vehicles produce 73% fewer emissions on average than gasoline cars, with reductions reaching 78% when renewable electricity is used. These findings are consistent with previous studies from the EU and the International Energy Agency, which estimated emissions reductions between 60% and 66%.
Battery Production Remains Key Challenge
While electric vehicles offer a clear climate advantage, Bieker acknowledged that battery production remains a significant environmental hurdle. The mining of lithium and cobalt is linked to habitat destruction and water depletion, with one ton of lithium requiring approximately two million liters of water. However, he emphasized that the higher production emissions of electric cars are offset after driving roughly 17,000 kilometers.
As noted by Deutsche Welle, the trend shows decreasing emissions in battery production as technology evolves. Unlike gasoline, which is consumed and released as carbon dioxide, batteries can be recycled, offering a circular economic benefit. The debate highlights the ongoing tension between immediate regulatory targets and the complex realities of industrial supply chains.
