EMISSIONS

Some argue that committing to an EV-only future is premature. They highlight the human and environmental cost of mining some of the metals required for EV batteries, as well as the high carbon emissions of EV production and electricity generation in many markets. Confused? We investigate and explain…

The 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris – where 197 countries agreed to limit global warming to less than 1,5°C – resulted in many governments considerably tightening existing vehicle emission limits and setting progressively stricter limits into the future. Vehicle manufacturers had achieved earlier emission targets by increasing the use of turbocharged diesel engines, moving to downsized, turbocharged petrol engines and the increased use of hybridisation. Volume production of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) had been led byToyota, initially with the Prius as far back as 1997. This