Guide to electric vehicles

Petrol and diesel vehicles release pollution into the air through their exhaust pipes and are the leading cause of climate change and poor air quality in our borough. Did you know that one third of all the borough’s carbon emissions come from the vehicles we drive? 

Vehicles running on electricity have no exhaust pipe emissions. By making your next car an electric vehicle (‘EV’), you will be helping to address the climate emergency and reduce the amount of pollutants in the air that are harmful to human health.  

EVs are also cheaper to run than petrol and diesel vehicles, as electricity usually costs a lot less per mile. Added to this, the government have made Vehicle Excise Duty free for many EVs (those that qualify as zero emission vehicles), and many EVs are exempt from Transport for London’s Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone charge. 

• Vehicle Excise Duty – UK Government 
• Driving – Transport for London 

Many car manufacturers are now selling their latest popular models as EVs. The sale of new cars and vans powered only by petrol or diesel will be banned in the UK from 2030. Driving an electric car may feel different the first-time round as they have lots of ‘torque’ from a standing start, which means they are very responsive.

Electric cars are almost silent other than wind and tyre noise and some motor noise noticeable at speed but other than that, EVs drive in a similar way to conventional car with an automatic transmission and are very easy to drive.