Electric Vehicle Owners May Have Larger Overall Carbon Footprints
Story by Tom Howarth • 20h
Electric vehicle (EV) owners typically have larger overall carbon footprints than non-EV owners despite their eco-friendly transportation choices, according to a recent study.
The research, published in the journal PLOS One, suggests this counterintuitive finding is linked to the higher average wealth of EV owners.
The team analyzed data from 3,857 respondents to the CLIMATE NUDGE survey conducted across Finland in 2022. Their findings paint a nuanced picture of the relationship between EV ownership and overall environmental impact.
"It is known that higher income usually leads to a higher carbon footprint, as higher income individuals often have larger homes, travel more and buy more things," the study's lead author, Nils Sandman, told Newsweek.
"The early adopters of EVs in Finland tend to have higher income than average, and this is most likely the reason why they also have a higher carbon footprint."
Sandman believes these findings are likely to apply globally, noting that "psychological factors affecting EV attitudes are quite universal."
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