Category Archives: Pollution

A living room on a skateboard: how electric vehicles are redefining the car

June 22, 2022Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

Future EV designs offer drivers more space and leisure, with fewer parts making production more sustainable

Take any petrol car sold today and show it to a mechanic working on a Ford Model T 100 years ago and there is a fairly good chance they would understand roughly how it works. An internal combustion engine at the front turns the wheels, carrying a driver behind a steering wheel, some passengers and luggage.

The advent of electric cars changes everything. No longer will the shape of the car be defined so rigidly by bulky engines, exhaust gas handling or driveshafts. At the same time, digital technology promises to replace everything from rear-view mirrors to the human driver. Never has the car industry had to cope with so many changes all at once.

All of these changes will come to a head in the next few years, says Adrian van Hooydonk, the design boss for BMW Group. Carmakers’ main concerns will be electric power and integrating fast-evolving digital technology – all while improving environmental sustainability. “It will be a reinvention,” he says.

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Electric vehicles: separating the fact from the fiction and scaremongering

May 10, 2022Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

The transport industry is currently on the precipice of a revolution. 27% of all emissions in the UK come from transport, meaning it is a race against time to decarbonise. This revolution is most apparent with the fast roll-out of electric passenger vehicles. Data from New AutoMotive shows that over 190,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in the UK last year, making up 11.65% of the new car market, just nudging past the diesel share. 2022 looks set to be another record-breaking year for EV sales, but it could be even higher with the right government policies. Despite the fact that EVs are a hugely popular practical solution to the climate crisis, considerable misinformation is stalling progress.

Common anti-EV myths

The term ‘technology agnostic policy’, for the most part, is the strategy the UK government is implementing in order to reach the Net Zero by 2050 target. They are not choosing a certain technology to get us there but simply pushing the market to reach the target in the most viable way possible. However, a common criticism levelled at the transition to electric is that the market is being artificially pushed by the government and neither the market nor consumers want this change. The reality is that these things are not mutually exclusive and in order for a fairly distributed transition to occur some government intervention is necessary. Over 40 countries have signed up to gasoline and diesel phase-outs and many major OEMs have pledged to transition to an all-electric fleet. And the customers have followed in increasing numbers—an estimated 4.2 million EVs were sold worldwide last year.

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World’s Electric Vehicle Fleet Will Soon Surpass 20 Million

May 3, 2022Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, MINI, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

The world is about to pass an important milestone in electric vehicle adoption, which will help combat the rise in worldwide emissions

Pandemic restrictions in 2020 caused the largest absolute drop in carbon-dioxide pollution from energy use since the Second World War. However, lockdowns eventually lifted, and as economic activity picked up, emissions resumed quickly by the year’s end. In December, worldwide emissions were 2% higher than the same month in 2019, according to new data from the International Energy Agency.

On the other hand, electricity generated from the sun and wind reached a record 20% of the mix of global energy sources for the first time, and electric vehicles (EVs) sold in record numbers.

At the moment, the world is about to pass an important milestone in electric vehicle adoption: 20 million plug-in vehicles are on the road globally, according to BNEF estimates. That’s a remarkable growth from only 1 million EVs on roads in 2016.

In the second half of 2022, almost a million EVs a month will be added to the global fleet, according to BNEF estimates. Vehicles eventually get retired from the fleet due to age, wear-and-tear, crashes and battery degradation. But that’s not a big part of the EV story so far, mostly because the majority of EVs in the global fleet were sold in the past 18 months. By the end of 2022, BNEF is expecting over 26 million plug-in vehicles on the road.

China accounts for 46% of the total sales to date, followed by Europe at 34%. North America is at third place with 15%, but policy support should get the EV market moving this year and next. All the remaining countries combined account for 5% of the global EV fleet.

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Electric car particulate pollution myths busted by RAC report

April 4, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

A new report casts doubt on claims that EV tyres and brakes produce more particulates than those of petrol and diesel cars

Motoring organisation the RAC has commissioned an expert report from leading battery electrochemist Dr Euan McTurk to address what it calls ‘negative myths surrounding electric cars’, specifically those around non-exhaust emissions from brake and tyre wear.

The report addresses the quantities of toxic fine particulate matter (also known as PM 2.5s) generated from an electric car’s tyres and brakes, which are often said to be much worse than for an equivalent internal combustion-engined car. That’s because it’s commonly believed the extra weight of an EV’s battery increases the wear on these two items during normal driving.

Government Environment Secretary George Eustice recently spoke to MPs during a select committee session on the subject. “There is scepticism,” the cabinet minister said. “Some say that just wear and tear on the roads and the fact that these vehicles are heavier means that the gains may be less than some people hope, but it is slightly unknown at the moment.”

However, the RAC says Dr McTurk’s findings based on real-world use show that electric car brakes in fact wear much more slowly than those in conventional cars, because EVs rely so heavily on regenerative braking where the motor works in reverse to charge the battery, slowing the car without the brakes being applied. Dr McTurk said: “Dundee Taxi Rentals says that brake pads on its 11 Nissan Leaf taxis have a lifespan of 80-100,000 miles – four times that of their diesel taxis. Discs tend to be changed due to warping rather than wear unlike on a conventionally fuelled vehicle, and last twice as long as those on diesel taxis.

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Eco-warriors deflate SUV tyres in Chelsea, Primrose Hill and Dulwich

March 30, 2022Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

Vehicles were targeted in Primrose Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, Dulwich and Notting Hill

Climate action activists have said they “will not stop” after deflating the tyres of “planet-wrecking” Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in wealthy London neighbourhoods.

More than 40 4x4s were targeted in the dead of night in Primrose Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, Dulwich, and Notting Hill by a group calling themselves The Tyre Extinguishers.

The group declared they want SUVs banned in urban areas, pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence and investment in public transport.

London Climate March - the Rally (Image: T. Larkum) — London Climate March – the Rally (Image: T. Larkum)

SUVs have already been “disarmed” in Paris, Bristol, Bordeaux, Glasgow, New Jersey and now London where Last Gasp vowed to make it “impossible to own one”, Extinction Rebellion claimed on Twitter.

In a manifesto on their website, The Tyre Extinguishers said the vehicles “exist purely for the vanity of their owners, who see them as a status symbol” and “SUV drivers tend to be richer and therefore tend to be white”.

A Dulwich Society spokesperson, a community group representing the leafy south London neighbourhood, said: “Several cars were vandalised in Dulwich last night with tyres deflated and this poster left on windscreens.

“We are environmentally friendly but this is not who we are as a community.”

Andy Meyer, a councillor for the City of London, called the activists “narcissists”.

He added: “Vandalising vehicles that may include doctors on call. Just pathetic and dangerous.”

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Massive cargo ship carrying electric cars sinks in Atlantic Ocean after fire

March 17, 2022Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, UncategorizedRepost

A large cargo vessel carrying cars has sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, thirteen days after a fire broke out on board.

The ship’s manager and Portuguese navy confirmed on Tuesday that the Felicity Ace sank around 400 kilometres off the Azores.

The Panama-flagged vessel was being towed after a salvage team had extinguished the fire, MOL Ship Management in Singapore said in a statement.

The view from our hotel window in Falmouth, ZOE in foreground (Image: T. Larkum)

The 200-metre-long vessel had been sailing from Germany to the United States before it caught fire last month. Portugal’s Air Force had evacuated the 22 crew members, before letting the ship drift for several days in the mid-Atlantic.

Ocean-going tugboats with firefighting equipment had been hosing down the ship’s hull to cool it.

It was not clear how many luxury cars were onboard, but vessels of the Felicity Ace’s size can carry at least 4,000 vehicles.The ship was transporting electric and non-electric vehicles, according to Portuguese authorities.

Authorities suspect the fire may have broken out due to the lithium batteries used in electric vehicles, but an investigation into the cause of the blaze is still underway.

The Portuguese navy confirmed the sinking of the Felicity Ace, saying it occurred outside Portuguese waters.

There were also concerns that the sunken vessel could pollute the ocean, given that it had been carrying 2,000 metric tons of both fuel and oil.

The Portuguese navy said in a statement that only a few pieces of wreckage and a small patch of oil was visible where the ship went down. The tugboats were breaking up the patch with hoses, it added.

A Portuguese Air Force plane and a Portuguese navy vessel will remain at the scene on the lookout for signs of pollution.

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Commentary: Why California’s ban on gas-powered cars isn’t all that radical

October 9, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil, PollutionRepost

Climate change is already doing a lot of damage – and the prohibition on the sale of new fossil-fuel cars is 15 years away.

Banning dealers from selling anything but zero-emission cars from 2035, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom decreed this week, sounds pretty radical on first hearing.

Electric vehicles are still a relatively niche pursuit. Charging them up isn’t always straightforward – especially if you live in an apartment – and battery-powered cars tend to cost more than gasoline-powered equivalents (although that won’t be the case for much longer). Predictably, the Trump administration attacked Newsom’s executive order, and the fossil fuel industry is also unhappy.

However, in view of the seriousness of the climate emergency – something Californians need only look out the window to observe – Newsom isn’t being very radical at all.

The truly eye-catching thing about California’s announcement is that the state will allow the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles, whose emissions contribute to wildfires and heat, for another 15 years. Oil-rich Norway, by contrast, wants to ban cars powered by fossil fuels by as soon as 2025. Britain might bring forward its phase-out date from 2035 to 2030.

Speed is of the essence because climate change is already doing enormous damage. And the key question isn’t when we stop selling combustion-engine vehicles, but when the last one is removed from the roads. Think about it: A gasoline vehicle purchased in 2034, a year before California’s ban comes into force, might continue spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for more than a decade after that. Californians will still be able to buy used gas-guzzlers after 2035.

To see why this matters, consider some of the findings of BloombergNEF’s latest Electric Vehicle Outlook. In 2020, about 3 percent of global car sales will be electric models. By 2025, that will hit 10 percent, rising to 28 percent in 2030 and 58 percent in 2040. Despite this incredible growth, these vehicles will amount to only 8 percent of the 1.4 billion cars on the planet’s roads in 2030 and slightly less than a third in 2040.

OPINION Posted September 26INCREASE FONT SIZEResize Font
Commentary: Why California’s ban on gas-powered cars isn’t all that radical
Climate change is already doing a lot of damage – and the prohibition on the sale of new fossil-fuel cars is 15 years away.

BY CHRIS BRYANTBLOOMBERG OPINION
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Banning dealers from selling anything but zero-emission cars from 2035, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom decreed this week, sounds pretty radical on first hearing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bryant is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies.

However, in view of the seriousness of the climate emergency – something Californians need only look out the window to observe – Newsom isn’t being very radical at all.

Oil-rich Norway, by contrast, wants to ban cars powered by fossil fuels by as soon as 2025. Britain might bring forward its phase-out date from 2035 to 2030.

BNEF forecasts that – after dipping this year because of COVID-related mobility restrictions – emissions from road transportation will keep rising until 2033. While they’ll decline after that, these emissions will still be higher in 2040 than they were in 2019.

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Could the coronavirus accelerate the green transition?

August 6, 2020Coronavirus, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Coronavirus continues to impact businesses across the globe causing uncertainty in all sectors of the economy. While lockdowns and travel restrictions have been relaxed in the UK, the drastically reduced air pollution experienced, albeit temporarily, has driven reappraisal of future mobility strategies while also highlighting a significant role and opportunity for the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

The post COVID-19 global economy will be different – bet on longer term winners

While the health threat of coronavirus will be ended by the development and distribution of a vaccine, it is increasingly clear the economic effects will be more lasting. Recovery will happen, but it will be patchy, certain sectors (travel, hospitality, office real estate) will be permanently transformed.

This altered economic landscape means short term attempts to go “back to normal” are ill advised. Instead, governments and investors will need to look at which areas have a longer-term future and back these to the hilt – and yes, this may be to the detriment of others.

In automotive terms, would anyone recommend measures to support the production of a new suite of diesel passenger vehicles while the global economy lag has depressed sales? This is the time to pivot to the development of the passenger vehicles that will be in demand once recovery is here in earnest – and those are electric.

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London in lockdown sees air quality improve by up to 50%

July 20, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

New research has found rush hour pollution levels have dropped considerably in London during the pandemic lockdown.

They fell up to a 50% during rush hour near Park Lane and double digit improvements in other commuter hotspots in London.

Borough High Street, at the base of London Bridge, saw a 37% reduction in the morning and 47% drop in the evening.

Cowcross Street, near Farringdon Train Station, saw a fall of 38% in the morning and 43% in the evening.

South Street, next to busy Park Lane, saw reductions of 32% and 50% for the morning and then the evening.

The research was carried out by Environmental Defence Fund Europe (EDFE) and Global Action Plan.

EDFE analysed pollution data from the Breathe London monitoring network during morning (8-11am) and evening (5-8pm) commuting hours in the first four weeks of lockdown.

These three sites were also in the top five of overall NO2 pollution reduction locations for the Breathe London network.

NO2 is a toxic pollutant produced when fossil fuels such as diesel, petrol or natural gas are burned.

In order to keep air pollution down, particularly during rush hour, Global Action Plan is calling on businesses to offer remote working to employees to ease pressure during peak travel times.

Additional research also shows that Londoners are more concerned about the air pollution since lockdown and are keen for it to stay low.

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Incentivising EVs suggested to reduce coronavirus impact

July 13, 2020Coronavirus, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Electric vehicle tax breaks, scrappage schemes and extended emissions zones have all been proposed to reduce the likelihood of a second wave of coronavirus in the All-Party Parliamentary Group Air Pollution’s (APPG Air Pollution) latest document; Air Quality Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus Infection.

The Air Quality Strategy document recognises the importance the global lockdown has played in transforming, “the way we have lived, worked and interacted with each other and, in that process, significantly reduced air pollution.”

The document states that there is a connection between cleaner air and a reduction of COVID-19 risk – emerging evidence suggests that short term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of coronavirus infection – underlining the importance of a comprehensive air quality strategy as we emerge from lockdown. This is in addition to premature death figures for Europe of 470,000 each year pre lockdown attributable to air pollution – including 64,000 in the UK, and with poor health related to air pollution estimated to cost £20bn each year in the UK alone.

Geraint Davies, chair of the APPG Air Pollution, said:

“Air pollution may also carry the virus further afield. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds the virus can remain infectious and airborne for hours and explores how pollution may transport coronavirus through the air. It is therefore essential that the government ensures pollution remains low.”

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