How do electric cars compare with petrol cars?

The green credentials of your electric car depend on how power is generated where you live. If you have solar panels, then your driving will be free of emissions. If your electricity comes from a local plant that’s powered by fossil fuels, then you’re just shifting your greenhouse gas emissions from your exhaust to its chimneys. But even in areas with the dirtiest coal-fired plants, electric cars still have lower CO2 emissions overall. This is because large power stations turn fuel into energy more efficiently than multiple, small engines, and it’s easier to clean up the exhaust in their towering chimney stacks. And unlike petrol cars, electric cars will get cleaner if a wind farm or other renewable energy source opens up nearby.