When does an EV pay back its manufacturing carbon?

An EV starts with a bigger carbon footprint because of its battery, then emits less every mile. This estimates the mile where the two lines cross. Nothing you enter is saved.

Where the numbers come from: EPA eGRID emissions for your state's power grid, IPCC lifecycle factors, ICCT battery-manufacturing studies, and EPA gasoline factors. Data last updated yearly. How we calculate

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Your numbers

Your EV

Year

Make

Model and trim

Battery size (kWh)

Pick a car first.

Battery chemistry

Where the cells were made

Where your charging electricity comes from

Your state

Gas car to compare (mpg)

Miles per year

Carbon payback

– miles

Choose your EV to see the result

Battery manufacturing footprint–

EV, per mile driven–

Gas car, per mile driven–

Saved per year, after payback–

–

Payback miles = battery footprint ÷ (gas CO2 per mile − EV CO2 per mile). Gas side is tailpipe only, which favors the gas car. Tree figure uses EPA's 10-year seedling equivalence and is a scale illustration, not an offset. Full method and sources

Where these numbers come from

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