The diesel scandal that engulfed Volkswagen in 2015 brought the German automaker’s cheating ways to light. Since then, the company has been working to make amends, but it’s not the only one with dirty hands when it comes to emissions. In the wake of the scandal, electric cars have come under scrutiny as well, with some accusing them of being just as polluting as the diesels they’re meant to replace. Are electric cars the new diesel scandal? It’s a fair question to ask, given the revelations of the past few years. But the answer is complicated. To understand why, it’s first important to understand how electric cars work. Unlike gasoline or diesel cars, electric cars don’t have engines that burn fuel to create power. Instead, they have electric motors that are powered by batteries. The batteries in electric cars can be recharged by plugging them into an electrical outlet, or they can be recharged while the car is driving using regenerative braking. Regenerative braking captures the energy that is normally lost when a car slows down or stops, and converts it into electrical energy that can be used to recharge the battery. The electricity that powers the electric motor in an electric car can come from a variety of sources, including coal-fired power plants, natural gas-fired power plants, nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams, and wind turbines. That means that the emissions from an electric car depend on the mix of energy sources that are used to generate the electricity that powers the car. In places like China, where coal is the dominant source of electricity, electric cars can produce more emissions than gasoline or diesel cars. But in places like California, where the electricity mix is cleaner, electric cars can produce far fewer emissions than gasoline or diesel cars. So, are electric cars the new diesel scandal? The answer depends on where you live and what the mix of energy sources is in your region. If you live in a place with a clean electricity mix, like California, electric cars are a much cleaner option than gasoline or diesel cars. But if you live in a place with a dirtier electricity mix, like China, electric cars may not be the best option.
According to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, diesel cars are more fuel-efficient and emit less pollution, making them a better option for the environment. Diesel cars, on the other hand, emitted far more pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, particulates, and other compounds that harm human health and air quality. Diesel is now considered a dirty word in many countries, and many impose additional congestion fees and vehicle taxes. The switch to electric vehicles has resulted in an eye-watering £35 billion bill for taxpayers to plug. Car owners who own such vehicles are not required to pay fuel taxes or vehicle exercise taxes. They have also been known to demand costly subsidies, lowering government revenues while also lowering costs. Electric cars have become the leading vehicle type in the world, accounting for more than half of all new vehicle sales in Norway.
According to some estimates, the total cost of building infrastructure in the world is $6 trillion (£4.4 trillion). According to a study published in an authoritative journal, even electric vehicles will account for just 20% of global car use by 2050. Climate change is already costing British households more than £10 billion per year in electricity bills. According to the IEA, hybrid cars consume roughly the same amount of CO2 as electric vehicles over their lifetime. Electric cars have several advantages over gasoline vehicles, in addition to being more affordable. Furthermore, hydrogen-powered vehicles may be available in a more environmentally friendly future.
