[Current & Culture] Will "Electric Vehicles = Eco-Friendly" Still Hold True 10 Years From Now?

Electric vehicles are environmentally friendly. How many people would doubt this proposition? Just like about 10 years ago when diesel was unquestionably praised as an eco-friendly car. Nowadays, the combination of the words "eco-friendly" and "diesel" seems strange, but only a few years ago, it was a commonly accepted expression. What exactly happened?

The claim that diesel is environmentally friendly came from Europe. Around 2005, German car companies began releasing research results one after another. The studies showed that diesel cars emit about 20% less carbon dioxide than gasoline cars and have better fuel efficiency, resulting in overall lower pollutant emissions. Based on these findings, car manufacturers promoted diesel vehicles, and consumers responded positively due to lower fuel costs. Car companies worldwide rushed to expand their diesel lines. As technologies to reduce noise and vibration advanced, the perception that diesel cars had poor ride comfort disappeared, and eventually even luxury sedans costing hundreds of millions of won came equipped with diesel engines. The same was true in South Korea. The government granted various benefits to diesel cars, such as tax breaks, toll discounts, and parking fee reductions, citing their eco-friendliness. It was truly the golden age of diesel cars. This phenomenon peaked in 2015, when diesel cars accounted for over 68% of both domestic and imported car sales in South Korea.

The seemingly eternal era of diesel cars ended abruptly. The beginning of the downfall also started in Europe. Allegations arose that the Volkswagen Group, a car manufacturer competing with Toyota for the top sales spot, manipulated emissions test results. During emissions inspections, they installed pollution control devices to deceive the tests, but under normal driving conditions, the vehicles emitted pollutants exceeding the allowed limits. Shockingly, some models emitted pollutants dozens of times above the permissible levels while driving. This scandal became known as Dieselgate. The global belief that diesel cars were eco-friendly collapsed instantly. Realizing they had been deceived by car manufacturers' fraudulent acts, governments worldwide withdrew the benefits previously granted to diesel cars, and as fine dust pollution worsened, some diesel vehicles faced driving restrictions.

Now is the era of electric vehicles. However, the trend is surprisingly similar to the clean diesel craze. Some people occasionally express doubts. While electric cars emit no exhaust gases when driving and thus seem clean, isn't electricity generation still dependent on fossil fuels or nuclear power? What happens to the batteries when electric cars are scrapped? Could there be an electric vehicle scandal similar to Dieselgate in about 10 years? The author has also harbored such doubts for quite some time.

Cars are both products and culture. This is why Dieselgate was so shocking?not only because people were deceived into buying a product but also because their tastes and values were betrayed. Such a thing must never happen again. Ultimately, as a consumer who has set aside doubts and purchased an electric vehicle, I sincerely hope that my decision is at least somewhat environmentally friendly.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist