Are electric cars sustainable?

Vehicles are a major source of emissions. They affect the air quality in large cities and contribute to global warming.

In the UK, cars and vans produce about 20% of all carbon dioxide emissions and 5% of the particulates in the air.

Cleaner vehicles must therefore be more sustainable.

Or is this necessarily the case?

Traffic congestion causes excessive emissions

Petrol v Electric cars

Most private cars in the UK run on petrol.

The graph compares the emissions from petrol cars and electric cars using electricity generated in conventional power stations.

Overall, there are less emissions from electric cars. This could help to reduce global warming and also improve the air quality in our cities.

A 'Eco Points' rating has shown that electric cars would produce only a third of the pollution that petrol cars make.

So why don't car manufacturers make thousands of electric cars?
Do you know anyone who drives one?

Click here to look at the sustainability of electric cars.