Research Disputes Electric Cars Zero Emissions Claims

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Thu, 24 Feb 2011

The common claim made by electric car manufacturers that their battery-powered motors emit ‘ zero emissions ’ has been disputed by consumer watchdog Which?.

The group carried out a study comparing carbon dioxide created by charging electric cars with that emitted by the most efficient diesel models, and found that there’s not always great deal of difference.

According to Which?, the zero emissions claim from carmakers ignores the fact that most drivers use a conventional electricity supply to charge them, which has a carbon cost from burning fossil fuels.

For example, the watchdog found that the electric Smart Fortwo produces an equivalent of 84 grams of CO2 per kilometre driven, whereas the diesel Smart Fortwo emits 103 grams.

However, electric cars are much greener than diesel cars when it comes to localised emissions, as they don’t emit toxic chemicals that degrade air quality.

Which? Car editor Richard Headland said: "We applaud carmakers’ efforts to create greener cars – but we don’t agree with their ‘zero emissions’ claims."

"Until more electricity is produced from renewable sources in the UK, the carbon footprint of driving an electric car may not be as small as owners think."