Driver warning – how your heavy EV produces MORE pollution than petrol cars

EV DRIVERS have been warned over ways that their super heavy electric cars actually end up producing MORE pollution than petrol and diesel motors.

Research has revealed that EV tyres produce up to 20 per cent more pollution than their fossil-fuelled equivalents.

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This means that there might be a bigger environmental cost associated with electric vehicles that many owners are unaware of.

According to road testing conducted by Emissions Analytics, a petrol-powered car emits about 73 milligrammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre from its four new tyres.

However, a comparable electric vehicle emits an additional 15 milligrammes per kilometre or 20 per cent more.

Nick Molden, founder and CEO of Emissions Analytics, told the Mail: “It’s a combination of the weight and the torque – essentially how aggressively the car can accelerate.

“The thing about electric motors is they have the ability to accelerate very fast. If you put together that and how heavy the vehicle is, that is what creates the additional wear on the tyre.”

Molden revealed that the typical electric vehicle weighs around 453kg more than petrol cars.

The Tesla Model Y – the most popular EV in the US – produces 26 per cent higher tyre emissions than the comparable-sized hybrid Kia Niro, according to research carried out by Emissions Analytics in March.

“The hybrid Kia Niro delivers around 30 per cent CO2 reduction, while the Tesla is probably somewhere around 50 per cent.

“The Tesla is better from a CO2 point of view, but not that much. Then you’re weighing up some extra CO2 reduction but worse tyre emissions.”

Another problem with electric cars is that their tyres are likely to last less than in petrol vehicles, according to the major tyre provider in the UK, ATS.

The tyre and maintenance provider explains that this is down to several factors, including the weight of the cars and regenerative braking.

And electric car tyres are more expensive because they’re specially engineered for EVs and premium brands.

This comes after electric car owners were warned that increasing temperatures this summer could lead to massive tyre damage and potential fines of up to £1,000.

Plus, a man revealed that he bought a £70,000 electric Mercedes, but a shocking flaw left him stranded.