Much is made of the low carbon dioxide emission needed to meet various targets and the drive towards zero emission objectives through all electric vehicles, using technologies such as fuel cells etc. Most commercially available vehicles are now subject to VED on the basis of how 'green' they are based on their CO2 emissions in g/km, and as such it is possible to make judgement and choice. Although those figures are produced by manufacturers against an agreed set of standards, they do not reflect the true reality that those emissions will be achieved throughout the working life of any given vehicle, which will depend on the type of use and the extent to which the vehicle is appropriately maintained. More significantly none of the figures available relate to the 'total life cycle CO2 emission’ of any given vehicle i.e. emissions during production, working life and subsequent recycle or disposal at end of life.

Many of the current and proposed low emission vehicles use quite exotic materials in their production when compared to, say, a bog standard diesel engine. However the former may only have a working life of 100,000 miles compared to 300,000 miles for the latter. Furthermore the recycling cost not just in CO2 but also financial terms is probably far lower for a simple engine block than for a complex lithium battery. If one wants to be genuinely environmentally friendly, where can one find out what the true cost to the planet is of owning a given vehicle is throughout its life, rather than the few years that you may drive it?