Electric cars 'pose environmental threat' Electric cars might
pollute much more than petrol or diesel-powered cars, according
to new research. The Norwegian University of Science and
Technology study found greenhouse gas emissions rose
dramatically if coal was used to produce the electricity.
Electric car factories also emitted more toxic waste than
conventional car factories, their report in the Journal of
Industrial Ecology said. However, in some cases electric cars
still made sense, the researchers said.Big impact The team
looked at the life-cycle impact of conventional and electric
vehicles. In essence, they considered how the production, the
use and the end-of-life dismantling of a car affects the
environment, explained co-author Prof Anders Hammer Stromman.
"The production phase of electric vehicles proved substantially
more environmentally intensive," the report said, comparing it
to how petrol and diesel cars are made. "The global warming
potential from electric vehicle production is about twice that