Did someone try to pull the organic wool over our eyes? Electric vehicles, (EVs) produce more emissions than conventional cars in production, but still have far lower carbon footprints over their lifetimes, according to a new study that “dispels the myth” that low carbon cars transfer emissions from exhaust to manufacture.
The research conducted by UK advisory group LowCVP calculates that a typical medium-sized family car will pump out 24 tonnes of CO2 compared to just 19 tonnes for EVs and plug-in hybrids, and 21 tonnes for standard hybrids.
However, producing EVs cranks out a sizeable 8.8 tonnes of carbon, compared to 5.6 tonnes for standard fuel cars, meaning that 46 per cent of an EV’s lifetime emissions are generated before the car even hits the road.