Does an EV really have higher manufacturing emissions?

Yes. Building an EV, mainly its battery, emits more CO2 up front than building a comparable petrol car, typically several tonnes more. The EV repays this 'carbon debt' through cleaner running, and this tool shows the distance at which it breaks even.

How is battery-manufacturing carbon estimated?

It is approximated as the battery capacity in kWh times a manufacturing factor of around 70 kgCO2e per kWh of cell capacity. A 60 kWh battery therefore carries roughly 4.2 tonnes of extra embedded carbon, amortised across the vehicle's life in the comparison.

What grid intensity should I use for the EV?

Use the grid where you charge. On a clean grid an EV's running emissions are tiny and it breaks even quickly; on a coal-heavy grid the running advantage shrinks and break-even takes far longer. The grid factor is the single biggest variable in the EV result.

Is the EV always cheaper to run?

Usually, because electricity per mile costs less than petrol or diesel in most markets, especially on an off-peak tariff. But high electricity prices or very cheap fuel can narrow or reverse the gap, which is why the tool computes cost from your own figures.

What does the break-even distance mean?

It is the lifetime distance at which the EV's lower running emissions have fully repaid its higher manufacturing emissions, so total CO2e becomes equal. Drive further than that and the EV is cleaner overall; drive less and the petrol car may have emitted less in total.

What is the EV vs Petrol Lifetime CO2 & Cost Comparator?

Input vehicle segment, annual mileage, grid carbon intensity, fuel prices, and electricity tariff to model 10-year lifetime CO2e and total cost of ownership for an EV versus a petrol or diesel car, including battery-manufacturing carbon amortised over the vehicle life. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

EV vs Petrol Lifetime CO2 & Cost Comparator

Name: EV vs Petrol Lifetime CO2 & Cost Comparator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Whether an electric car is genuinely cleaner than a petrol one depends on how far you drive, how clean your grid is, and how big the battery is. This comparator models lifetime CO2e and running cost for both, including the EV’s higher manufacturing carbon, and shows the distance at which the EV pulls ahead.

The carbon debt question

An EV starts life with a “carbon debt” — the extra CO2 emitted building its battery relative to a comparable petrol car. The tool models this as approximately 70 kgCO2e per kWh of battery capacity (a commonly used modelling figure; real-world estimates range from about 60 to 100 kgCO2e/kWh depending on the factory’s energy source). A 60 kWh battery therefore carries roughly 4.2 tonnes of extra embedded carbon before the car leaves the factory.

Every kilometre driven then repays that debt — but how fast depends almost entirely on the electricity grid where you charge. On a very clean grid (for example, parts of Scandinavia with a large share of hydro and nuclear), the EV can break even within a year or two of driving. On a coal-heavy grid, the advantage may take five to eight years to materialise, and for very short annual mileage on a dirty grid it may never fully offset the manufacturing difference within the car’s life.

How it works

ICE running CO2  = distance_km × (litres/100km ÷ 100) × fuel CO2 per litre
EV running CO2   = distance_km × (kWh/100km ÷ 100) × grid gCO2/kWh ÷ 1000
EV battery CO2   = battery_kWh × 70 kg/kWh  (added once, up front)
break-even km    = EV battery CO2 ÷ (ICE per-km − EV per-km)

Petrol emits about 2.31 kgCO2 per litre and diesel about 2.68. The EV’s running carbon scales directly with your grid intensity, so a clean grid makes the EV break even within a year or two, while a dirty grid pushes it out.

What the break-even distance tells you

The break-even is the cumulative distance at which the EV’s total lifetime CO2e (manufacturing plus running) equals the ICE car’s total. Before that point, the ICE has emitted less in total; after it, the EV has. If your total planned mileage over the ownership period is higher than the break-even, the EV is the lower-carbon choice overall.

For context: a driver covering 15,000 km per year for 10 years travels 150,000 km total. On a typical Western European grid, this is comfortably above the break-even for most modern EVs.

Cost of ownership

Running cost is fuel or electricity per unit distance over the chosen lifetime. EVs usually win on running cost because electricity per kilometre is cheaper than petrol in most markets, especially on a home off-peak tariff. But the margin depends on your local fuel price and electricity tariff — both of which you enter — so the tool computes from your real numbers rather than national averages.

The 70 kgCO2e/kWh battery factor is a modelling assumption. Adjust mileage, grid intensity, and prices to your own situation. The tool deliberately separates the EV’s up-front carbon debt from its running savings so you can see exactly when, in distance, the EV becomes the lower-carbon choice.