RAC addresses claims over EVS’ green credentials

The RAC has commissioned a leading battery expert to ‘set the record straight’ after the environmentsecretarygeorge Eustice told MPS that electric vehicles might not be as green as people think.

Although EVS do not have any harmful tailpipe emissions, Eustice was referring to fine particulate matter known aspm2.5.thishasbeenidentified as contributing to tens of thousandsofdeathseachyear, and is related to brake and tyre wear.

With EVS typically being heavier than their combustion-engined equivalents, there are concerns that PM2.5 emissions could be higher.

Eusticetoldthecommons’ environment, food and rural affairs committee: “The unknown thing at the moment is how far switching from diesel and petrol to electric vehicles willgetus.thereisscepticism.

“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 has commissioned battery electrochemist Dr Euan Mcturk to debunk this theory. Data shows that EV brakes wear far more slowly than in combustion cars because they have regenerative braking. When the car slows, the electric motor is reversed, converting kinetic energy into electricity to topupthebattery,whichhelps reduce the car’s speed.

As such, the brakes are not used as often, and typically at lowerspeeds,furtherreducing wear. Mcturk points to a taxi rental firm that said its Nissan Leaf brakes have a pad life of upto100,000miles,fourtimes that of their diesel taxis.

Mcturk alsodisputes a studywhichsaidtyrepollution was 1,000 times higher in EVS. EV users such as Cleevely EV, Dundee Taxi Rentals and British Gas found that the driven wheels wear slightly quicker, whilenon-drivenwheelswear atthesamerateascombustion cars.

RAC EV spokesperson Simon Williams said: “George Eustice’s remarks... were very unhelpful and could put some drivers off making the switch to zero-emission driving.

“Wehopethesepositivereal-world experiences will help to clear up some of the confusion.”