Electric-vehicle researchers are criticizing an automaker-sponsored report they say overstates how many miles battery-powered cars need to be driven before they’re cleaner than those running on combustion engines. The report compiled by British carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc and several of its industry peers made headlines in the wake of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 2030 ban on vehicles lacking a plug. One widely covered claim was that it takes 78,000 kilometers (48,000 miles) for EVs to be cleaner than conventional cars because of production- and charging-related emissions.
“The momentum for EVs is being powered by governments and manufacturers investing billions in batteries, vehicles and associated infrastructure,” said David Watson, chief executive officer of EV-charging company Ohme Technologies U.K. Ltd. “That’s a juggernaut that won’t be stopped by the odd piece of misinformation, especially when the claims as so easily disprovable.”