Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Did you know that an electric car, though much cleaner over its lifetime, actually starts out with a higher carbon footprint than a regular petrol car? This is due to the emissions-intensive processes involved in manufacturing its battery and other components. But what if we could drastically cut those initial emissions, bringing electric vehicles even closer to being fully climate-friendly from day one?
Today, we’re looking at how advanced tools like virtual twins are revolutionising the manufacturing world right now. Instead of waiting decades for new tech to evolve, virtual twins allow us to make real improvements to industrial emissions immediately, especially in areas like metals manufacturing, battery production, and assembly. This is a topic we need to pay attention to because clean energy doesn’t stop at the point of use—sustainable manufacturing is key to making green tech truly green.
In this video, I’ll walk you through the steps of building an electric car, highlighting how virtual twins can reduce emissions at every stage—from mining materials for the battery, to optimising metals for the car’s structure, to minimising waste on the assembly line. By the end, you’ll see how today’s smarter factories are helping to shorten the carbon payback period for EVs, pushing us toward net-zero faster.
If you would like to help develop the Engineering with Rosie channel, you could consider joining the Patreon community, where there is a chat community (and Patreon-only Discord server) about topics covered in the videos and suggestions for future videos and production quality improvements. patreon.com/engineeringwithrosie
Or for a one-off contribution you can support by buying a coffee ☕️ here —
buymeacoffee.com/engwithrosie
The Engineering with Rosie team is:
Rosemary Barnes: presenter, producer, writer
Javi Diez: editor linkedin.com/in/javierdiezsuarez/?locale=en_US
Bookmarks:
00:00 Intro
02:18 How does a digital twin work?
03:31 Battery emissions & Recycling challenges
05:33 Reducing emissions in metals manufacturing
07:54 Efficient car assembly
09:14 Supply chain optimisation
12:00 Outro
Sources:
theicct.org/a-global-comparison-of-life-cycle-ghg-emissions-from-passenger-cars
iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/ev-life-cycle-assessment-calculator
redwoodmaterials.com/news/sustainable-battery-materials-process
freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2024/11/05/gm-recall-chevy-bolt-again-fire-risk/76071317007
autoweek.com/news/a38252667/battery-experts-explain-chevy-bolt-fires
researchgate.net/publication/327806384_High_strength_aluminum_alloys_in_car_manufacturing
faa.gov/newsroom/updates-boeing-737-9-max-aircraft
bbc.com/news/business-44895564
mvtimes.com/2024/11/12/canada-station-reports-falsification-scheme-turbine-plant
Did you know that an electric car, though much cleaner over its lifetime, actually starts out with a higher carbon footprint than a regular petrol car? This is due to the emissions-intensive processes involved in manufacturing its battery and other components. But what if we could drastically cut those initial emissions, bringing electric vehicles even closer to being fully climate-friendly from day one?
Today, we’re looking at how advanced tools like virtual twins are revolutionising the manufacturing world right now. Instead of waiting decades for new tech to evolve, virtual twins allow us to make real improvements to industrial emissions immediately, especially in areas like metals manufacturing, battery production, and assembly. This is a topic we need to pay attention to because clean energy doesn’t stop at the point of use—sustainable manufacturing is key to making green tech truly green.
In this video, I’ll walk you through the steps of building an electric car, highlighting how virtual twins can reduce emissions at every stage—from mining materials for the battery, to optimising metals for the car’s structure, to minimising waste on the assembly line. By the end, you’ll see how today’s smarter factories are helping to shorten the carbon payback period for EVs, pushing us toward net-zero faster.
If you would like to help develop the Engineering with Rosie channel, you could consider joining the Patreon community, where there is a chat community (and Patreon-only Discord server) about topics covered in the videos and suggestions for future videos and production quality improvements. patreon.com/engineeringwithrosie
Or for a one-off contribution you can support by buying a coffee ☕️ here —
buymeacoffee.com/engwithrosie
The Engineering with Rosie team is:
Rosemary Barnes: presenter, producer, writer
Javi Diez: editor linkedin.com/in/javierdiezsuarez/?locale=en_US
Bookmarks:
00:00 Intro
02:18 How does a digital twin work?
03:31 Battery emissions & Recycling challenges
05:33 Reducing emissions in metals manufacturing
07:54 Efficient car assembly
09:14 Supply chain optimisation
12:00 Outro
Sources:
theicct.org/a-global-comparison-of-life-cycle-ghg-emissions-from-passenger-cars
iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/ev-life-cycle-assessment-calculator
redwoodmaterials.com/news/sustainable-battery-materials-process
freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2024/11/05/gm-recall-chevy-bolt-again-fire-risk/76071317007
autoweek.com/news/a38252667/battery-experts-explain-chevy-bolt-fires
researchgate.net/publication/327806384_High_strength_aluminum_alloys_in_car_manufacturing
faa.gov/newsroom/updates-boeing-737-9-max-aircraft
bbc.com/news/business-44895564
mvtimes.com/2024/11/12/canada-station-reports-falsification-scheme-turbine-plant
