EV supporters have hit back on a report from consumer magazine Which? over allegations that electric cars are no cleaner than their combustion counterpart.
According to the mag’s latest issue, which offers a review of electric cars currently available in the UK, electric cars are responsible for the around the same level CO2 emissions as compared to the most fuel-efficient diesel models. Using the Carbon Trust’s estimate that in the UK, 544g of CO2 are emitted per kWh of electricity used, the consumer mag estimates that the Nissan Leaf is responsible for 81g/km of CO2 while smart fortwo electric drive is responsible for 84g/km CO2-neither much better than a conventional counterpart.
The consumer mag’s report also estimates that while electric cars will typically only cost between 2 and 3 pence a mile in electricity, EVs will nonetheless be hampered by high purchase costs, long recharging times and uncertain residual values-which will all influence consumer interest in the models.
However supporters of electric cars say that the report from the consumer organisation is too simplistic and ignores the full CO2 footprint of fossil-fuelled cars when making comparisons with EVs.
In a letter to TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, Simon Oliphant, CEO of leading fleet management firm, Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions writes:
To get a true view of how “clean” different technologies are the comparison needs to be done from “well to wheel”. Whilst the majority of internal combustion engine emissions are generated in use, to establish the full picture you need to consider the CO2 impact of extraction, manufacturing and transport.
Furthermore, a car with a conventional engine puffs out a number of other gasses and particles into the air we breathe which have a more direct impact on health than CO2. Electric cars do not omit any of these and therefore air quality is less affected.
The CO2 produced to power an EV is restricted to the power plant alone. The UK Government is investing heavily in reducing electricity production from fossil fuels to renewable energy and nuclear power. Therefore in time, electricity production will become greener and thus the “well to wheel” CO2 emissions will improve.
A modern generation electric car using the current UK electricity grid equates to around 81 g/km of CO2. For a typical conventional car 20g/km of CO2 can be added to the published “tailpipe” figures to allow for production. Therefore a petrol car with a published CO2 of 163g/km is actually responsible for around 184g/km. Even a hybrid can expect 105g/km.
