Electric powered vehicles are very much in the news lately.

The Irish government is offering grants for newly purchased electric cars. However, the uptake is not as great as one would expect, due to the high initial cost. The amount saved in fuel, using electric cars, is staggering. The farm and groundcare sector is also catered for with electric vehicles. Some of the etractor manufacturers on the market, claim up to 5 hours of work, admittedly light farmwork, before recharging, which takes up to an hour to get fully charged. An example of such a tractor is the Fendt model e100 Varios, which went to work on farms and municipalities in Europe in 2018. The 67-hp. Vario draws off of a 650-volt lithium-ion battery. Plus, the battery can be recharged up to 80% in just 40 minutes.

But do all electric vehicles really save on Carbon (CO2) emissions? Diesel and petrol engines have become a lot more efficient in recent years. The batteries that are installed in electric vehicles are mostly Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries which weigh from 500kg upwards. It is the preferred battery type because it recharges faster, holds a charge longer, and has a longer life.

However, studies have shown that making these batteries could emit 74% more CO2 than from conventional fossil fuel burning cars. It depends on where the batteries are made. Most lithium batteries are produced in places like China, Thailand, Germany and Poland that rely on non-renewable sources like coal for electricity.

With such heavy batteries, an electric car's carbon footprint can grow quite large even beyond the showroom, depending on how it's charged. Driving in France, which relies heavily on nuclear power, will spit out a lot less CO2 than Germany, where 40% of the grid burns on coal.

However, in Norway, where hydro-electric energy powers practically the entire grid, studies showed that electric cars generate nearly 60% less CO2 over their lifetime, compared with even the most efficient fuel-powered vehicles.

Alas, Ireland has a long way to go in reducing its dependency on fossil fuels for electricity production. Around 85% of Ireland’s electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels. The lower we can reduce this figure and turn to renewable energy sources the better for lowering the carbon footprint for recharging batteries.

In January and February of this year, the number of electric cars registered in Ireland has almost equaled total sales in 2018. In fact sales of Electric Vehicles (EV) have risen by over 500% in the first two months of 2019. Yet, despite these figures, the number of EVs purchased only represents around 2.4% of registered cars in Ireland.

As well as the increasing number of electric cars being sold in Ireland, the amount of machines such as robotic mowers, chainsaws and motorized hand tools being sold are also steadily on the increase. We have a long way to go, though, before we see the changeover from conventional diesel farm and groundcare tractors to etractors.

If Ireland can reduce its dependency on fossil fuels for generating electricity we will be well on our way to reducing Carbon emissions.