How green are electric cars? Environmentalists have been quick to point out that while electric cars certainly have their merits over petrol guzzling alternatives, they aren’t truly ‘green’ until the energy they use comes from renewable sources.
Well now there is more weight to the argument that supports electric cars with Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing in a speech that renewable energy will supply 15 per cent of the UK’s energy mix by 2020. Mr Brown also highlighted the importance of the role that both electric and hybrid cars will play in this strategy.
With less reliance on fossil fuels, electric cars become even greener. Even with the current energy mix, they produce less than half of the greenhouse gases of traditional cars, and Evert Guertson, co-founder of the London-based NICE electric car company, believes this is a positive move by the Government.
“In the drive towards truly sustainable transport, the Government has taken a significant step forward,” he said. “There is now a clear understanding that the environmental benefits of electric vehicles will develop hand-in-hand with an increase in renewable energy supply.”
According to a report published by the World Wildlife Fund in April this year, all electric vehicles are far cleaner than those that are conventionally fuelled even with the UK’s current energy mix. The increased reliance on renewable sources will move electric cars even closer to that threshold of being true zero-emission vehicles.
