One way to make EVs more environmentally friendly? Restrict the size of their batteries

EVs should have smaller batteries. In recent years newly announced EVs have had much longer usable ranges than previously available. Some of that has been achieved by improved efficiency but most of it has come from increased battery size.

This is emphatically not a good thing.

One of the challenges that manufacturers of EVs face is how to balance battery size and range. New EVs are much more likely to have large and heavy batteries which increase weight and take up more space in the car. 

Larger batteries require more precious minerals to manufacture and result in high emissions. The heavier EVs which result from accommodating these larger batteries produce more tyre and brake particulates, create more road wear and have greater braking distances than lighter vehicles as a result of their greater momentum.

Smaller batteries mean lighter vehicles.

Lighter vehicles require less energy to accelerate to a given speed, so in day-to-day use are more efficient than those larger battery EVs.

Smaller batteries mean lower costs.

Batteries are one of the most expensive components of an EV, accounting for about 30% of its price. Smaller batteries can reduce the upfront cost of buying an EV, as well as the operating cost of replacing or repairing the battery. 

When smaller batteries offer so many benefits for EVs, it's hard to make an argument against them. Only for those drivers who regularly drive extended distances is there any case for a large battery EV. In every other instance, even the smallest battery EV offers a range far above that of the average daily commute of people around the world.

In the EU and the UK, the average daily distance travelled is less than 33km, in the US its 42km and Australia it is 34km. The Fiat e500, with its relatively tiny 24KWh battery will run 190km on a single charge, the slightly larger Mazda MX-30 200km - way more than most people would need to accommodate their daily driving.

Buying new cars is not a climate friendly decision by any stretch of the imagination. By keeping the car you already have and driving it less often you are making a far greater contribution to reducing global warming. If you do need to replace a car - and poor infrastructure in some countries means that will be unavoidable for many people - then buying one with a small battery is absolutely the best choice you can make.