Electric cars could cut oil imports by 40%

A wholesale switch to electric cars by British drivers would cut oils imports by 40 per cent and carbon emissions by almost half, according to a study by Cambridge Econometrics.

The research found that calculated that nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter would be “all but eliminated” over the next 35 years. The problem caused by this type of pollution is particularly acute in urban areas.

Research by King’s College last year found nitrogen dioxide levels on London’s Oxford Street to be the worst on Earth – a shocking revelation that is prompting new restrictions on the type of vehicles permitted to enter the city.

Diesels emit the bulk of emissions that endanger health, causing asthma, chronic bronchitis, heart disease and cancer, and such vehicles will from 2020 have to meet the strict Euro 6 emissions rating if they are to escape a proposed £12.50 daily 24-hour toll on top of the congestion charge. Most diesel cars have yet to meet Euro 6.

Such charges may help steer drivers towards electric cars. The European Climate Foundation-funded study calls for 23 million electric cars on British roads by 2050.

The electric vehicle market in Europe grew by more than a third last year, but electric cars still make up less than one per cent of all new car registrations

Grants of up to £5,000 for electric and plug-in vehicles, along with tax breaks, contributed to Britain having the highest number of new electric vehicles in Europe last year at over 15,000.

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