<
https://theconversation.com/why-the-electric-suv-boom-is-a-problem-for-climate-health-and-equity-284262>
"Governments and car manufacturers sell electric cars as the future of green
transport. But a less visible trend is challenging this story: many electric
cars are getting bigger.
The International Energy Agency recently reported that larger models, including
sports utility vehicles (SUVs), are taking up a major share of electric car
markets.
In China, electric SUVs accounted for more than 60% of electric car sales in
2025. In Europe, SUVs accounted for almost 75% of electric models in 2025. In
the US, the figure was even higher, at more than 85%.
SUV emissions are now so large that, if all SUVs were a country, they would be
one of the world’s five biggest CO₂ emitters. The problem with SUVs is not only
their tailpipe emissions. It is also their size, weight, cost and the way they
reinforce car-dependent lifestyles.
Electric SUVs may reduce tailpipe emissions compared with petrol and diesel
SUVs, but they still need larger batteries, more raw materials, more energy and
more road space than smaller electric cars. Their greater weight can also
contribute to pollution from tyre, brake and road wear, including fine
particulate matter linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Larger vehicles can also make streets more dangerous, especially for children.
A study using Great Britain crash data found that children aged 0-18 hit by
SUVs, rather than passenger cars, had 77% higher odds of fatal injury. For
children under nine, the odds were more than three times higher.
When roads are dominated by heavy privately owned cars, walking and cycling
become less attractive, even for short everyday journeys. This matters because
active travel (such as walking and cycling) is one of the easiest ways to build
physical activity into daily life while producing little or no direct carbon
emissions.
Car-dominated streets affect people unequally. Lower-income households are less
likely to own new electric cars, but they still experience the traffic, danger,
noise and pollution created by them. This is why the green transport transition
needs to be judged by more than the number of electric cars sold. It should
also be judged by whether it reduces car dependency and creates healthier,
fairer streets."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
