From Watts to Wheels: A Life Cycle Assessment Study of Electricity Mix Influence on Electric Vehicle Emissions in the United States

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) are on the rise in the United States as an alternative to heavily-polluting Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEV). However, BEV greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are influenced by the electricity mix that the vehicle is produced in and operated in. This study uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to model the variability of BEV emissions across eleven different U.S. regions to determine which energy resources contribute the most to BEV lifetime emissions and in which lifecycle stages these emissions are most prevalent. Results suggest that BEV emissions are correlated with the share of highly emission-intensive resources (coal and residual oil), meaning that regions with the highest shares of coal and residual oil have the highest BEV emissions. With the Biden Administration’s aggressive BEV adoption goals and implementation of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, it is crucial that government resources are allocated to regions with higher emissions-intense resources to encourage the reduction of GHG emissions nationwide.