All cars, whether electric or otherwise, have to be built in factories using raw materials. As such, they all come with an ‘embodied carbon’ footprint. In other words, CO2 has been emitted during the manufacturing process. Battery electric cars come out of the factory with a higher carbon footprint than traditional international combustion engine cars. This is due to the lithium-ion batteries that power EVs. However, for every month of driving on electricity – rather than petrol or diesel – you ‘repay’ this carbon debt.Once the whole carbon deficit has been paid back, your electric car is then much more environmentally friendly than a petrol or diesel car. You can speed up this carbon repayment process by charging your car with electricity from renewable sources. Either have solar panels installed at home, or choose a 100% green tariff from your electricity supplier, or do both.