Electric Vehicles
What makes electric cars better for the environment than conventional cars?
Electric vehicles (EVs) use is growing very strongly - in the UK electric / hybrid electric vehicles were ca. 14% of new market in December 2019**. By 2035 it is forecast that all new car sales in Europe will be EVs***.
The carbon emissions of driving 10,000 miles:Average Electric Vehicle 0.96t CO2e * Average Petrol Car 2.99t CO2e Average Diesel car 2.88t CO2e * vehicle charged from UK mains electricity (not renewables) Offset Carbon Emissions |
Our Client Director, Dr Wendy Buckley, on her first month living with an EV.
First look at a Tesla Model 3 - Dr Wendy Buckley has borrowed one!
Grants and Incentives available for EVs and hybrids
- up to £3,000 for full Electric Vehicles
- up to £500 towards home charging point
Infrastructure - Where are the Charging Points ?
What difference does the country you live in make?
Countries that generate electricity from predominantly renewable energy (e.g. Paraguay, Iceland etc), charging EVs from the mains will have a much lower carbon footprint.
However for countries which have high usage of coal in generating their electricity, the carbon emissions from using electric cars are much higher, and in some cases actually exceed that of petrol and diesel vehicles.
What about end life emissions?
As technology progresses, EV batteries will last longer and may have a second life as domestic storage batteries, so reducing the overall environmental impact.
What other emissions are caused by cars?
Air pollution is a major global issue which is causing premature deaths and illnesses throughout the world. The majority of air pollution in developed countries is caused by traffic which is especially prominent in towns and cities due to the congestion. Air pollution associated with conventional vehicles includes Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM10) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) which are emitted from exhausts due to the burning of fuel. Diesel emits four times the amount of NOx and 22 times the amount of PM10 that the average petrol vehicle. The example cars in this article are Euro 6 standard, the strictest standard for emissions and the quantities of NOx and PM10 emitted can be seen below. EVs do not produce any exhaust emissions unlike conventional vehicles and are clear winners in reducing urban air pollution.
** source - Sunday Times Driving, 6 Jan 2020
*** source - The Guardian.
Calculate your Annual Carbon Footprint - with our free to use Carbon Footprint Calculator
Note: Your EV emissions will be covered by your electricity use when you charge from your National Electricity Grid.