It's interesting, but I won't pretend to understand the details of the paper and I read it as they're coming into it with a bit of a negative bias in that they draw some conclusions that don't seem to be part of their analysis. I also question their vehicle lifetime. Even their upper limit of 200,000km is just 124,000 miles...I can't imagine that is going to be the average lifetime of an EV, or any car for that matter. Further, even though their analysis covered "crade to gate" as they called it, there was never any mention of recycling of the battery components which is a major possibility. Lastly, their suggestion that EVs are not ideal in places where coal is a primary source of electricity is extremely short sighted and, I believe, fails to take into account the potential for conversion to non-fossil fuel energy sources with an EV. But thanks for the article, I always enjoy seeing these sorts of studies and will share it with the EV community.
Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles - Hawkins - 2012 - Journal of Industrial Ecology - Wiley Online Library
Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles - Hawkins - 2012 - Journal of Industrial Ecology - Wiley Online Library
Conclusion:
We provide a new level of transparency and detail to the ongoing public discussion on the life cycle merits of EVs relative ICEVs. The production, use, and end of life of these two technologies were inventoried in a manner ensuring an appropriate comparison. The production phase of EVs proved substantially more environmentally intensive. Nonetheless, substantial overall improvements in regard to GWP, TAP, and other impacts may be achieved by EVs powered with appropriate energy sources relative to comparable ICEVs. However, it is counterproductive to promote EVs in regions where electricity is produced from oil, coal, and lignite combustion. The electrification of transportation should be accompanied by a sharpened policy focus with regard to life cycle management, and thus counter potential setbacks in terms of water pollution and toxicity. EVs are poised to link the personal transportation sector together with the electricity, the electronic, and the metal industry sectors in an unprecedented way. Therefore the developments of these sectors must be jointly and consistently addressed in order for EVs to contribute positively to pollution mitigation efforts.