The University of Oxford haven spoken out about how increasingly large cars like electric SUVs are missing the point of electrification, and cars need to stop getting larger to actually help the environment.
The transition towards electrified road transport is a cornerstone of global efforts to mitigate climate change. Whilst 14% of cars being sold are electric, there is an alarming shift towards the production and use of larger, heavier vehicles – ‘mobesity’ – which pose unique challenges to reducing emissions.
Whilst electric SUVs (e-SUVs) are three times more energy efficient than their counterparts, they still require significantly more resources to build and have greater energy consumption, increasing their environmental footprint and undermining the potential gains from electrification.