After much deliberation and research Lib Dem Councillor, Nick Hollinghurst, has decided to get an electric car. For the very first time, however, he has decided to lease rather than purchase outright – since the technology is changing all the time.
He also decided not to go for the top of the range Tekna version but the “mid-grade” Acenta, but with the faster 6.6kW charging capability. Who needs heated seats and steering wheels, anyway? One small disadvantage is that the Tekna has LED lights, while the Acenta does not. Delivery of his car is expected sometime in September.
How will it work out? Well, early adopters take risks – but this risk appears well worth taking. The downside of course has to be the need to a bit of pre-journey planning as it would be very awkward indeed to run out of power on the street. He’ll let us know.
But is it really green? Well, the manufacture of an electric car produces about 75% more carbon dioxide than the manufacture of a similar sized petrol or diesel car. The greenness comes when you drive it and if you power it from the national grid then the dominant factor is how green is the grid electricity in each country. So in Australia, where nearly all grid electricity is produced by burning coal, then electric cars are simply not green at all. But in Norway where nearly all electricity comes from hydropower, then electric cars are extremely green. The UK is somewhere in between, but with renewables now accounting for 22% of our electricity and nuclear still at 17%, in terms of reducing carbon dioxide an electric car comes as the greenest form of personal transort after the bicycle – but in front of hybrid.
So, yes. It is very definitely green.