Does Britain have a blind spot over EV emissions?

In the light of government plans for all new cars and vans to be 100 per cent ‘zero emission’ by 2035, there are calls for more clarity and education about what the term means.

According to a survey of 2,000 drivers carried out on behalf of the biofuel manufacturer Sustain, more than a quarter (27 per cent) incorrectly believe that driving an electric car is completely emission free. This misconception is most prevalent among young people, the firm says, with twice as many 18-25 year olds (34 per cent) thinking that EVs are completely emission free, when compared to the over-55s (16 per cent).

Only 46 per cent of drivers are aware of the emissions associated with EV driving, whether that’s in relation to their manufacture or the production of electricity to power them. When it comes to EV drivers, that number increases to 73 per cent, the survey reveals.

The widespread lack of understanding means consumers can’t make proper comparisons between different sustainable technologies, says Sustain.

According to David Richardson, one of the firm’s directors, the fact that consumers don’t see any tailpipe emissions from EVs leads many to assume there aren’t any associated with running one. 

“That simply isn’t the case for most drivers," he said. “For instance, although the UK electricity grid currently has a reasonable proportion of renewable energy (roughly 40 per cent), we still rely heavily on gas-fired power stations. So, the process of generating electricity to charge an EV is typically not CO2-free.”

Richardson wants this information to be more widely communicated. “As with all fuel technologies, we must recognise all emissions in a full life cycle analysis,” he explained. “This way we can calculate their environmental impact, compare our options correctly and avoid any further confusion in the public domain.”

Driving the Sustain boss’s conviction that more needs to be done to educate people is a further survey finding that suggests a significant 61 per cent of consumers aren’t even aware that options such as synthetic fuels exist.

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