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Electric cars may not be as green as we have been led to believe, the Environment Secretary warned yesterday.
George Eustice said this is due to the polluting particles produced by the heavier battery-powered vehicles.
This means the gains from switching to electric cars from petrol and diesel ones 'may be less than some people hope' because of particles they create which do not come out of the exhaust.
Wear from brake linings and tyres on the roads may be greater than with petrol and diesel vehicles because of the weight of the battery in electric cars, he suggested, which in turn generates more polluting fine particles.
Electric cars are typically about 20 to 30 per cent heavier than their petrol or diesel counterparts.
Mr Eustice was being quizzed about steps to reduce polluting particulate matter, known as PM2.5, by MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs committee.
