RAC ‘sets the record straight’ over claims that EV gains ‘may be less than some hope’

The RAC has commissioned a leading battery expert to ‘set the record straight’ after the environment secretary George Eustice told MPs that electric vehicles might not be as green as people think.

Although EVs do not have any harmful tailpipe emissions, Eustice was referring to fine particulate matter known as PM2.5. This has been identified as contributing to tens of thousands of deaths each year, and is related to brake and tyre wear.

With EVs typically being heavier than their combustion-engined equivalents, there are concerns that PM2.5 emissions could be higher.

Eustice told the Commons’ environment, food and rural affairs committee: “The unknown thing at the moment is how far switching from diesel and petrol to electric vehicles will get us. There is scepticism.

“Some say that just wear and tear on the roads and the fact that these vehicles are heavier means that the gains may be less than some people hope, but it is slightly unknown at the moment.”

However, motoring organisation the RAC has commissioned Dr Euan McTurk, a leading battery electrochemist, to debunk this theory, with data showing that brakes wear far more slowly in EVs, while tyre wear is similar for non-driven wheels and only slightly worse on driven wheels.

Brakes wear much more slowly than in combustion cars because EVs have regenerative braking. When the car slows, the electric motor is reversed, converting kinetic energy into electricity to top up the battery, which helps reduce the car’s speed.

As such, the brakes are not used as often, and typically at lower speeds, further reducing wear. McTurk points to a taxi rental firm that said its Nissan Leaf brakes have a pad life of up to 100,000 miles, four times that of their diesel taxis.

Meanwhile, mechanics at EV specialist Cleevely EV say they regularly see brakes that have lasted over 100,000 miles and find that it’s more common that they replace brakes that have seized through lack of use, rather than wear.

When it comes to tyres, McTurk disputes an Emissions Analytics study in 2020 that said tyre pollution was 1,000 times higher in EVs, stating that based on those figures it would take just 4,000 miles for a tyre to completely wear through to the alloys. It would wear out its tread in less than 1,400 miles.

Speaking to EV users such as Cleevely EV, Dundee Taxi Rentals and British Gas, experience appears to show that the driven wheels wear slightly quicker, while non-driven wheels wear at the same rate as combustion cars.

RAC EV spokesperson Simon Williams said: “George Eustice’s remarks about EVs not being as green as some may think were very unhelpful and could put some drivers off making the switch to zero-emission driving.

“We hope these positive real-world experiences will help to clear up some of the confusion.”