About Electric Vehicles

Summary If you’re asking yourself whether a second hand electric car is worth buying – yes! Buying a second hand electric car can be a smart way to go electric. You can bypass the limited availability, longer waiting times and higher list prices of new electric cars. Here’s how to go about it: Pick a type of Electric Car – BEV, PHEV …

Summary By moving from the internal combustion engine (ICE) to an equivalent electric car, you will significantly reduce your carbon footprint and air quality impacts. This guide explores: How green electricity is Which kinds of EV are greenest How driving style affects When charging is greenest How green is using electricity as energy source? While it is true that your electric car will be greener with specifically sourced renewable electricity, you may be surprised by how green it is when just plugged into the average UK gridmix. Nissan LEAF vs Nissan Micra Example Nissan LEAF Acenta 40kWh Nissan Micra VISIA Efficiency 0.33 kWh/mile 52.3 miles per gallon Direct emissions 0 gCO2/km 123 gCO2/km Fuel production emissions 37 gCO2/km* 39 gCO2/km** Total emissions 37 gCO2/km 162 gCO2/km * According to average UK grid emissions in 2020 – 180gCO2/kWh ** It is estimated that ~15-40% of total “well-to-wheel” emissions come from extraction and refinement of petrol. We’ve used 32% as a mid-point as an assumption.   The UK has dramatically decarbonised its power generation in recent years, mainly by replacing high emitting coal with less emitting natural gas and increasing the supply of renewable energy, like utilising solar panels. This process continues, as we look to remove the last of the coal, reduce our reliance on gas, and increase our reliance on renewable generation. As such the grid gets greener each year.   Tip: While EVs have continued to get more green in terms of CO2 emissions in recent years, in operational terms they are typically more efficient than equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles even when charged from coal-fired power! So EVs are always winning, but the winnings keep growing. Not all EVs are equally green… Production Much of the carbon dioxide released over the lifetime of an EV is a byproduct of its manufacturing processes and supply chain. At present firm values for the carbon footprint of EVs are hard to come by. A Ricardo report in 2011 estimated that BEVs have a ~30% carbon deficit in their manufacture when compared with an internal combustion engine car, but that deficit was typically comfortably overcome within the operational life of an EV. More recently […]

Summary Electric cars offer a range of financial, performance and environmental benefits when compared with internal combustion engine vehicles. So what are the advantages of electric cars? They are often: Greener. Faster. Cheaper to run. More convenient to own. Soon to be cheaper to buy or lease. Electric cars are greener Electric cars are greener than petrol or diesel cars by a number of key measures, with the exception of the carbon intensity of the manufacturing process (although this will change as economies of scale are achieved through mass production). Energy Efficiency Electric cars are far more energy efficient (85-90% efficient) than internal combustion engine cars (17-21%), which means that they use less energy to get you from A to B. Less energy used means less produced, which in turn means less CO2 emissions produced by non-renewable energy sources and the wider energy supply chain. Energy Source However, it is often claimed by sceptics that electric cars just move the pollution to the power station; it’s called the “long tailpipe theory”. To an extent this is true. But it fails to note that pretty much all power stations are greener than internal combustion engines in terms of energy and carbon efficiency. The mix of power generation we actually use to charge electric cars in the UK (which includes wind & solar as well as power stations) is far greener than an internal combustion engine and getting greener all the time. Exhaust Emissions Electric cars have zero exhaust emissions, which means they do not emit any harmful exhaust gases or soot in densely populated areas. Likewise, with coal now becoming a small part of the power mix, very little air pollution at all is released from modern power generation. In contrast, the exhaust emissions from vehicles with internal combustion engines is a significant source of CO2 that contributes to global climate change and air pollutants that harm people’s health at a local level. Air pollution is often described as a public health emergency, with urban air pollution for many UK towns and cities well above safe limits and not improving. It is clear that road transport […]