Electric cars pollute up to two to three times less than similar thermal models. The Ecological Transition Agency issued a report on the issue on Wednesday, October 12, but adds that this is only true if certain conditions are checked.
First, that this vehicle is not too heavy, because the carbon impact increases almost proportionally to the weight, which excludes SUVs, large urban 4 X4s, from this club of green electric cars. Then, that its battery has a reasonable size, and therefore a capacity of less than 60 kilowatts per hour. Which is the equivalent of the battery of a Peugeot 208, for example, or a Renault Mégane at most, but it still allows you to have up to 400 km of autonomy.
With a larger battery, an electric car is no longer necessarily virtuous. The higher its weight, the less the environmental interest will be guaranteed.
Ademe adds that the proper use of the electric car is for short daily journeys, typically between home and work. And for those, once again, the adapted vehicle, the lightest possible, is the most interesting.
You will also have to learn to reload your vehicle more slowly. No more two-three minutes spent at the pump to fill its tank. Virtuous charging should be done at night at home, or during the day at work or at public charging stations. There are currently 70,000 in France.
According to ADEME, fast charging stations, “superchargers“, should be reserved for highways in the future. They should not become the norm, because they demand too much of the power grid.
From a budget point of view, an electric car does not cost more than a thermal model. Over its entire lifespan, the cost of an electric car, with deduction of aid and home charging, is lower than that of a comparable thermal vehicle. As for hybrid cars, they are virtuous if they are used almost exclusively in electric mode. The thermal mode is only used to top up in the event of a problem with autonomy.