London: India has been classified as the least green country to make and drive electric cars, according to a study.
According to an analysis by independent research group, Shrink That Footprint, heavily coal-based power generation in India results in from electric car emissions similar to traditional petrol vehicles.
A fully electric car generates emissions comparable to a 20 MPG petrol vehicle, the report found after assessing the impact of grid-powered electric vehicles (EVs) in 20 of the world`s leading countries.
Paraguay, which produces five times more hydro-electricity than it uses, was found to be the greenest place on earth for electric cars, producing emissions comparable to a 218 MPG petrol vehicle.
Iceland comes in a close second as the greenest place to drive an electric car with Sweden, Brazil and France following close behind.
Shades of Green: Electric Cars` Carbon Emissions Around the Globe also found China, with its coal-based power generation, in the bottom rung but less carbon intensive than India.
"This work highlights just how much the climate benefit of going electric varies around the world. To achieve their carbon reduction potential, electric cars need to be deployed in tandem with low carbon electricity," Lindsay Wilson, lead author of the analysis, said.
In the US, the shale gas boom is rapidly lowering electric driving emissions by displacing coal generation.
Key research areas of Shrink That Footprint group include housing, travel, food, product and service emissions.
PTI
