Electric vehicles on the road to greener future

A Ricardo report shows that improvements in battery technology and end-of-life treatment will make battery electric vehicles (BEVs) even greener in the future.
 
The benefits of a typical new battery electric car is estimated to already reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the entire life-cycle by around 65%, but this could increase to around 76% compared to a petrol equivalent operating in the UK by 2030.
 
The findings are contained in a new report prepared for the Department for Transport by Ricardo.
 
Nikolas Hill, an Associate Director and expert in vehicle technology and fuels within Ricardo’s sustainable transport team, said: “We are all aware of the operational environmental benefits of driving an electric car, but this study has provided further confirmation that those benefits are also significant in the UK when considering the full life of the vehicle from manufacturing to the end-of-life”
 
The effects of fuel consumption dominate the overall lifecycle impact for conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, including hybrids, currently accounting for more than 82% of GHG emissions for passenger cars and vans, and is significantly more for higher mileage heavy-duty vehicles.

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