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Question: Are electric cars better for the environment?

Answer: The major benefit of electric cars is the contribution that they can make towards improving air quality in towns and cities. With no tailpipe, pure electric cars produce no carbon dioxide emissions when driving. This reduces air pollution considerably. Put simply, electric cars give us cleaner streets making our towns and cities a better place to be for pedestrians and cyclists. Over a year, just one electric car on the roads can save an average 1.5 million grams of CO2. That’s the equivalent of four return flights from London to Barcelona.

Whole country behind electic cars

According to the Mayor of London, road transport accounts for around half of the capital's air pollution. It’s no wonder that the UK government and local councils want to accelerate the number of electric cars on the roads. The UK government has set a target that the sale of petrol and diesel cars will be banned by 2040.

Electric cars can also help with noise pollution, especially in cities where speeds are generally low. As the cars are far quieter than conventional vehicles, driving electric creates a more peaceful environment for us all.

Compare an electric vs petrol car yourself

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology have put a fabulous tool together to help you compare the overall environmental impact of electric cars vs internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. The main aim is to let users understand why, how, and in which cases electro-mobility is actually performing according to its green image, by cutting per-km emissions from its fossil fuel-based counterpart. A second objective is to show in which conditions electric vehicles may "counter-perform": what happens when the battery size changes? or the background electricity mix? the battery lifetime? what about winter conditions affecting battery performances?

(Source: edf Energy, 15 Apr 2021)

Source Link: https://www.edfenergy.com/for-home/energywise/electric-cars-and-environment