ViggoDifference - How We Calculate Our CO₂ Savings

We have an updated blogpost with calculations based on newer data - you can find it here HERE.

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Here at Viggo, we are often asked a couple of questions:

• Are electric cars really better for the environment?
• Should the production of the electric car’s battery not be part of the CO₂ emission calculation?
• Don’t you have to drive a lot of kilometers before it makes sense to drive an electric car?

All very relevant questions if you want to know the facts behind the green transition.

At Viggo, we take pride in having our facts straight - so naturally, we have done thorough research into calculating the savings of CO₂-emission that result from driving with us as opposed to driving with a regular diesel taxi.

In this post we will elaborate on the methods we have used to get the numbers that form the foundation of ViggoDifference - our CO₂ counter that is installed in all taximeters.

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Why we believe electric cars are the future

We believe that the electric car is the future - and so do researchers, universities and many other institutions around the world.

In the current situation, electric cars emit less CO₂ (in carbon dioxide equivalents) than a normal diesel car - and at the same time, the percentage of sustainable energy is on the rise throughout the world. The more sustainable the energy we charge our cars with, the more sustainable the cars will become. For this reason we really believe that the electric car is a key element in a future with better opportunities for sustainable mobility.

But how do you then compare electric cars with diesel cars? Every car production will inevitably leave a CO₂ mark due to materials and production, but also the use of the car.

Below is a list of the different elements that need to be accounted for in the CO₂ calculations of the two types of cars - diesel and electric:

Diesel car

• Car production
  Covers all the emissions from producing the different parts of the car
• Upstream emissions
  Covers the emissions related to sending out fossil fuels to the gas (petrol) station
• Tank-to-wheel
  Covers the emissions from the fuel used in the car for driving

Electric car

• Car production
  Covers the emissions from the entire car production except the battery
• Battery production
  The CO₂ emissions from producing the battery
• Upstream emissions
  The CO₂ emissions related to transmitting the energy to the charging station
• Tank-to-wheel
  Covers the emissions from the energy used in the car. These emissions depend on the Danish “energy mix”. The term “energy mix” covers how much of our energy originates from sustainable energy sources (such as sun and wind), and how much originates from fossil fuels.

A well-recognised method for these types of analyses is the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The LCA is an analysis of the total CO₂ emissions during the car’s lifespan, in which you divide the total CO₂ emission with the number of kilometers the car drives throughout its lifespan. By doing so, you can make an estimate of the difference for each kilometer driven.

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“CO₂” or “CO₂-equivalents”?

When you talk about climate footprint, it is practical to use a common measuring unit. A lot of different kinds of greenhouse gases exist - the three primary ones are CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide. Methane and nitrous oxide are in these calculations converted to the effect they would have in CO₂-equivalents. This is done simply to avoid complicating the calculations unnecessarily, so we can use a single measuring unit.

The correct way of informing about emission of greenhouse gases is actually “CO₂-equivalents” but in our conclusions we often just use CO₂.

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Find the actual calculation here.

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