In the UK the number of electric cars on the road has increased from 3,500 in 2013 to over 166,000 in August 2018, but are these new cars really that much better for the environment and for consumers?

Let us begin with the environment...

Unlike petrol or diesel cars that release an average of 2.99 and 2.88 tons of CO2e per 10,000 miles respectively, electric vehicles (EV’s) don’t release any CO2 or other emissions when in use.

Given that this CO2 directly contributes to the greenhouse gas effect in our atmosphere, greatly worsening climate change and harming our planet one would assume that on this measure EVs surely trump petrol or diesel.

However, while EV’s produce no direct emission, the electricity they consume has to come from somewhere. The UK’s main power sources are gas, nuclear and a small amount of coal, two of these sources release CO2 into the atmosphere.

Because of this, this gives the average EV a carbon footprint of roughly 0.96 CO2e per 10,000 miles: considerably less than fossil fuel cars, but still significent.

So, while EVs are better in terms of their environmental impact; it is entirely falacious to assume they impose no harm on the environment whatsoever.

The economics of EVs also raise some compelling points...

The running costs of a car is, of course, a huge factor when deciding what to buy. The average petrol car range is 300-400 miles on one tank and at a current prices that makes the average tank of petrol £67, putting the price per mile between 17p and 22p.

EVs on the other hand have a much lower range than petrol cars, however most journeys that take place are less than 15 miles from the home, somewhat reducing the relevance of this fault.

Of course, costs are also contingent on the model of the car. The world’s bestselling electric car is the Nissan Leaf, with a max range of 115 miles. While it won’t get you as far as a petrol car on one charge, when it’s 30kWh battery is charged over night on the UK mains the costs average £3.64 for a full charge, meaning a Nissan leaf will cost you 3p per mile.

On the other end of the electric car spectrum is the Tesla model S p100d which currently has the largest range of any consumer EV, 337 Miles. However, charging overnight would cost £13, however due to the increased range one still attains a price per mile of around 4p.

Evidently EV’s have much lower running costs compared to conventional cars. That said, it is worth acknowledging the higher price tags associated with EVs, although this is somewhat mitigated by government grants that help EV buyers.

Our analysis has shown that this increase in the number of EVs on the road is not a bad thing; however, consumers and those concerned about their carbon footprint should acknowledge that EVs are not their panacea for everything: purchasing an EV will not immediately save the planet and absolve them of their transport finances.

That said, when contrasted to our current petrol/diesel dominated regime, the choice is simple for consumers and environmentalists alike: go electric.