In a few weeks, I'm gearing up for a road trip around eastern Turkiye. Renting a car is a must, but I want to do it in an environmentally responsible way. My algorithm is clear: go first for a fully electric car, and if that’s not available, get a hybrid. EVs are the cleanest, ICE cars are the dirtiest, and hybrids are somewhere in between. Simple, right?
Still, some naysayers claim that EVs are bad for the environment. What they’re implying is that ICE cars are somehow better. These folks clearly haven’t lived near a highway or a busy city street.
For those lucky enough to live in a cabin in the woods, driving gas guzzlers around tree stumps, there's now a nifty tool to compare EVs, hybrids, and ICE cars. The IEA recently launched a new interactive tool that compares all these types of cars. It’s fun to play with and takes into account years of use, average daily driving mileage, and the energy balance of a region. The only downside is the limited number of regions, but hopefully, more will be added soon.
And before you come throwing sh*t at me in the comments about batteries being left in the open, higher tire wear, etc., try living in the center of Istanbul for a summer. I bet you’ll become an EV convert in no time, just like all those investors who poured record funding into EVs last year—almost $90 billion, according to Pitchbook INC. Have a nice summer!
Here is the link to the IEA comparison tool: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/ev-life-cycle-assessment-calculator