Call for cleaner vehicles

A joint study by Arup and Cennex has found that vehicles running on electricity from the grid could reduce automotive emissions by more than 40 per cent.

The report, undertaken on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Transport (DfT), claims that the UK electricity grid has sufficient generating capacity to accommodate a greater uptake of electrified vehicles by 2030.

Currently, 22 per cent of carbon emissions in the UK are produced by road-based transport. Arup's director of Advanced Technology and Research, Neil Ridley, believes that significant improvements will come from integrating electric vehicles into future infrastructures.

Ridley said: ‘One of the keys to an improved uptake of electric and hybrid cars will be the collaboration between stakeholders, including manufacturers, local authorities and energy providers, to address issues related to standards for charging, consumer education and the development and deployment of new technologies.

‘Indeed, moving toward a green motoring revolution could see a real opportunity for the UK automotive industry, among other industries, to take a lead in developing more economical and efficient electric and hybrid engines.’

A full copy of the report and its findings can be downloaded here.