Category Archives: Pollution

Majority of drivers would consider EV purchase after lockdown

July 8, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

The majority of drivers have noticed a decline in air pollution during lockdown and would be willing to purchase an electric vehicle (EV) to help keep it this way, according to a survey carried out Smart Home Charge.

According to the survey, which was conducted on 291 people, 72.5% of respondents said good air quality was ‘very important’ to them with 97% saying they have noticed the positive effect that lockdown has had on local air quality.

68.4% of respondents acknowledged that having too many petrol/diesel vehicles on the road is having the biggest impact on air pollution and consequently 66% said they would be willing to purchase a fully electric car to help keep air pollution levels down.

14.4% said they would be willing to cycle and walk more, 2.1% said they would consider car-sharing, and 3.1% said they would avoid driving into town altogether.

Over 50% of respondents also said they would be more likely to buy a new or used EV in the next year if the government introduced a scrappage scheme for petrol and diesel cars.

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MPs call for accelerated rollout of EV infrastructure and emission zone extensions

June 13, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, SalesRepost

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Air Pollution has called for an accelreated roll out of electric vehicle infrastructure and for emissions zones to be extended to help tackle climate change as the coronavirus lockdown starts to lift.

The APPG has launched its Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus Infection as we emerge from Lockdown in order to keep air pollution low.

The group said studies in the US, China and Europe have identified the strong correlation between areas of high air pollution and COVID-19 deaths.

Part of the suggested proposals include extending emission zones in UK cities, introducing scrappage schemes for older vehicles, accelerating the roll out of EV infrastructure and bringing forward a ban on new fossil fuel engines to 2030 at the latest.

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

“There is a risk that increased private transport as lockdown measures are reduced will increase pollution levels beyond pre-lockdown levels.

“Government must provide a clear message that pollution should be reduced, while supporting greener transport with fiscal measures and giving local government the tools to help do the job.”

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Electric cars gain market share in Europe despite Covid-19 crisis

June 12, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, SalesRepost

Data suggests that carmakers are making progress towards meeting emissions reductions targets

Electric and hybrid cars gained traction among European buyers in April despite coronavirus lockdowns stalling the market, suggesting carmakers are likely to avoid potential fines potentially worth billions of euros if they fail to reduce average emissions.

Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars accounted for 17% of sales across all European markets, including the UK, in April, according to data collated by industry analysts Jato Dynamics. That was more than double the 7% market share achieved in April 2019.

The data show buyers were more likely to opt for electric and hybrid cars even as overall sales fell dramatically. Total car sales, including petrol and diesel models, fell from 1.34m units in April 2019 to 292,600 vehicles in April 2020, the lowest level since the 1970s, Jato said.

Sales of battery electric cars fell by 29% during the month compared with the previous year, but performed far stronger than the 78% decline seen across the market as a whole as sales of petrol and diesel cars decreased much faster.

Sales of plug-in hybrid cars rose by 7% according to Jato. Volkswagen, Volvo and Ford all benefited from strong growth in sales of plug-in hybrids.

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Lambeth cracks down on harmful car idling

June 2, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Lambeth Council is introducing £20 fines for drivers who leave their engine running whilst stationary and will run a new awareness campaign as part of the ongoing battle to improve air quality in the London borough.

Drivers who allow their vehicle engines to run unnecessarily when parked in the borough will be asked to turn off their engines, and if they fail to cooperate, will be issued with a fine under the new policy adopted in May. The move builds on previous anti-idling events in the borough to raise awareness and educate drivers on the effects of idling.

Councillor Claire Holland, Lambeth’s Deputy Leader (Sustainable Transport, Environment & Clean Air), said: “Cleaning up toxic air is an absolute priority for this council.

“Poor air quality is a huge health risk to our residents, and engine idling is a major contributor. We are determined to tackle the issue and are confident these new measures will help encourage people to change their behaviour so that everyone in Lambeth – particularly young children due to the effects on their development – is able to breathe clean air.”

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Brits predicted to surge to electric vehicles post-lockdown

May 30, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, SalesRepost

Improved air pollution levels during lockdown could result in a surge towards electric vehicles (EVs), a new study has found.

The latest research by online parking portal YourParkingSpace.co.uk discovered that 4-in-10 people are more likely to purchase an EV in the future as a direct result of the lockdown which has seen fewer vehicles on the road, resulting in less pollution.

Indeed, the findings correspond to April’s car sales, which although dramatically down due to the government restrictions, saw the electric Tesla Model 3 as the UK’s best-selling car and EVs take a record market share of 32 per cent.

Harrison Woods, managing director at YourParkingSpace.co.uk, commented: “The lockdown has changed nearly every aspect of life, including less vehicles and traffic fumes, and our study would indicate that this will result in a surge in popularity towards electric vehicles.

“While plug-in cars have been growing in popularity over the last few years, seeing and feeling the benefits of less pollution means we will probably see many more EVs on the roads of Britain sooner rather than later.”

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Number of diesel cars on UK roads falls for first time in 25 years

May 26, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, SalesRepost

There were 111,000 fewer diesel cars in the UK in 2019 than the year before as people switched from polluting vehicles to greener ones

The UK has reached a motoring milestone, passing ‘peak diesel’ as the number of diesel cars on the roads fell for the first time in at least 25 years.

There were 111,000 fewer diesel cars in the UK in 2019 than the year before as people switched from polluting vehicles to greener, electric ones, according to government figures.

Although sales of diesel vehicles have been falling for a while this is the first time that the total number on the roads has declined, according to data from the Department for Transport.

“These figures hint at a motoring milestone – the possibility that we have hit or even passed ‘peak diesel’,” said Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation.

Collapse in diesel sales

“This was due to the collapse in sales of new diesel cars together with the scrapping of older diesels, which have either come to the end of their useful lives or whose owners fear increasing restrictions on their use because of air quality concerns,” he said.

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Electric cars could cut total CO2 by 12 per cent, Nottingham study shows

May 19, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, PollutionRepost

Total carbon emissions in the UK will be cut by almost 12 per cent if the country exclusively uses electric cars in future, a new study shows.

Research by Nottingham Trent University shows that 42 million tons of CO2 (MtCO2) will be removed from the atmosphere in the UK – a reduction of 11.89 per cent of the UK’s 351.5 MtCO2 total emitted last year.

The analysis offsets the increase in carbon emissions for the electricity grid which is required to power the country’s 32 million cars and taxis if they were switched to electric vehicles.

The switch to electric cars is found to save 14 per cent from the total carbon emissions, but will also cause an increase in carbon emissions from electric power stations of about 2.1 per cent for the additional electricity needed, making the net savings to be about 11.89 per cent.

The research – by PhD candidate George Milev, from the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment – considers fully electric cars currently used in the UK, including the Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, Jaguar I-Pace, and more.

“These are encouraging findings and show just how much impact the switch to electric cars could have,” said researcher Mr Milev.

“In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are regularly seeing reports on how the environment has benefitted from the decreased use of combustion engines.

“If and when the UK moves exclusively to electric car usage, we will similarly see real benefits in the dramatic reduction in levels of CO2.”

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Electric cars: Have we reached turning point?

May 14, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

Electric cars are coming, but we already know this to be a fact.

Carmakers are ramping up their battery-powered fleets in significant numbers – everyone from Audi to Volkswagen and most brands in between. Until now, the widespread acceptance of them has been relatively minor, but are we about to see a dramatic change?

It’s human nature to try and look for the silver lining in the darkest times. And as the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the world, one of the few positives to come from this crisis is the dramatic reduction in air pollution around the world, largely brought on by the drop in traffic as people leave their cars in the driveway and stay inside.

You may have seen anecdotal evidence on your social media feed – pictures of clearer skies over major cities like London and Sydney – but there’s scientific evidence to back this up. Earlier in April, NASA released satellite data that showed a 30 per cent drop in air pollution over the north-eastern corner of the United States. The space agency’s images showed the dramatic reduction around major cities, including New York and Boston as well as regional areas, comparing the average concentration each March between 2015 and 2019 to March 2020.

A report from the BBC cited the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs indicating air pollution in some cities had dropped up to 60 per cent in March, after British prime minister Boris Johnson encouraged people to work from home.

The evidence demonstrates what we have all known for some time but have largely ignored: the overwhelming reason for poor air quality is vehicle traffic using internal-combustion engines.

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CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN GIVES US A TASTE OF A FULLY ELECTRIC FUTURE

April 25, 2020Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

More people are considering switching to electric vehicles thanks to improved air conditions during the pandemic.

With less air pollution being documented due to the COVID-19 lockdown, more people are realising the benefits of moving away from petrol and diesel cars according to a study by Venson Automotive Solutions.

Of the participants surveyed by Venson, 45 per cent agreed that the vast improvement in air quality at the current time had made them reconsider owning an electric car (EV) in the future. Another 17 per cent said that it had reaffirmed their decision to buy an electric car.

“Reducing emissions has been a hot topic and a clear government, business and personal target for several years now, but still the growth of electric vehicle (EV) ownership has been slow,” says Alison Bell, Marketing Director at the company. “This is despite evidence that transport is responsible for 23% of global emissions, and driving petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles contributes 72% of the transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

The global pandemic has given us a taste of the future we could achieve if emissions targets were reached. Urban centres like New York have seen a “sharp reduction” in carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane emissions. With more than half of the world’s population in lockdown, the coronavirus lockdown has even cleared the air in India’s megacities where air pollution often reaches dangerously high levels.

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Coronavirus lockdown sees air pollution plummet across UK

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

Air pollution levels in the UK have dropped significantly in the two weeks since the country went into lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Some cities have seen nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels fall by up to 60% on the same period last year, analysis shows.

NO2, released from car exhausts, is a serious air pollutant and also indirectly contributes to the warming of the planet.

Campaigners said they hoped it would lead to a permanent change.

Jenny Bates, a Friends of the Earth clean air campaigner, said:

“Seeing this drop in air pollution shows that less traffic can quickly lead to cleaner air.

“Once this dreadful situation is over, we don’t want to rush to go back to where we were or worse, and we can’t have an accelerated return to business as usual.

“We can have a better, cleaner future for ourselves and the planet.”

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