Are electric cars really better for the environment than petrol driven ones?

While electric vehicles have been looked upon as an answer to environmental concerns, truth of the matter is something else. Research has shown that electric cars have an impact on the environment which could prove to be more harmful than petrol or diesel driven vehicles. Studies revealed taking into account 34 cities in China found that electricity generated by power stations to drive electric vehicles cause more fine particle emissions as compared to petrol powered vehicles.

The study also found that electricity generated to power electric vehicles caused particulate matter which is caused due to combustion of fossil fuels and included acids, organic chemicals and metal particles. This percentage was found to be much higher than gasoline vehicles. Thus the study concluded that electric cars are more harmful to public health per kilometer traversed in China as compared to conventional vehicles. The focus now is on cleaner electricity generation and improving emission.

In recent years greater attention is being paid to electric cars. Countries such as Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Germany and Ireland are pursuing electric car technology and expect to have between 500,000 to 1 million electric cars on the road by 2020.