hydrogen-powered<\/a> by 2035. The UK Government is more ambitious, intending to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and for all new cars and vans to be fully zero emission at the tailpipe by 2035.<\/p>\nConsumers appear to be embracing electric cars; in 2021, 190,000 battery-powered electric cars were sold in the UK. This was more than the five previous years combined, and nearly one in eight of all new cars sold. We have all seen more electric cars on the road, and public transport is not being left behind. First Bus recently announced that it has placed one of the UK\u2019s largest electric vehicle bus orders. So, the switch to electric seems to be well under way.<\/p>\n
An electric car\u2019s carbon footprint<\/h3>\n
To cope with the increasing electric cars on our roads, carparks, workplaces, and homes are including charging stations. The UK Government wants to have 300,000 public charge points as a minimum in the UK by 2030. However, 75% of electric car charging is estimated to be from home.<\/p>\n
The below table is based on data from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) which shows the share of electricity sources of the national grid for the years 2015 to 2021 (updated 28 July 2022).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is clear the electricity which is charging electric vehicles is not necessarily green. Volvo research for their C40 range shows if you charge a battery electric version with a global energy mix of over 200,000 km driven, emissions are only about 20% less than the petrol version. Volvo also concludes that, even when charging with fully renewable energy, an electric car only has lower overall emissions than the petrol version after driving 49,000km.<\/p>\n
Then there is the high carbon footprint of an electric car\u2019s lithium-ion battery production to consider. Volvo\u2019s reports note the battery has a contribution of approximately 30% each to the total footprint of all materials and components in the C40 Recharge. Interestingly, one of the reasons for the high carbon footprint of producing lithium batteries is the source of energy used during the manufacturing process. Typically, the batteries are made in countries such as China, that even today produces 60% of its electricity from coal.<\/p>\n
The carbon footprint of an electric car is thus inextricably linked to how green the electricity source is, not just in the use phase but during production too. It seems clear that we need to transition more quickly to renewables or low-carbon energy sources, which also may have a positive knock-on effect on today\u2019s energy prices across Europe.<\/p>\n
The UK is currently building offshore wind farms with the world’s largest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank currently under construction off the Northeast coast of England. In the Net Zero Strategy, the government set out that, subject to security of supply, all UK electricity will come from low carbon sources by 2035. Of course, the move to clean energy sources needs to be a worldwide effort to encompass the lithium-ion battery production carbon footprints. The UK has also placed a high importance on Gigafactories which produce batteries for electric vehicles. Forecasts suggest that the UK will host up to eight Gigafactories by 2040.<\/p>\n
Using innovation to lower the carbon impact of the production process<\/h3>\n
A key part of greening up our energy sources and lowering the carbon impact of electric car production is innovation. Innovative ideas directed toward higher energy capture, easier installation, and more efficient transport are just a few mechanisms for improving our current and future green sources. Patents can be used to protect these innovations and claim revenue to offset the R&D investment.<\/p>\n