Electric cars: do these vehicles really reduce CO2 emissions ? What this American study reveals

The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is reducing the amount of CO2 emitted in those areas, according to a new study. AscentXmedia/Getty Images

The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is significantly reducing the amount of CO2 emitted in those areas, according to a new study released Thursday.

These new data thus offer a strong argument to the authorities of the most populous American state, who want to generalize the use of electric modes of transport to achieve "zero net emissions& quot; of CO2 by 2045.

Thanks to a network of sensors installed from 2012 around San Francisco Bay (where electric cars are now legion), scientists from the prestigious University of California at Berkeley observed a constant drop in carbon dioxide levels ( CO2) emitted each year.

"We demonstrate, thanks to atmospheric measurements, that the adoption of electric vehicles works, it has the expected effect on carbon emissions. CO2", said the study’s lead author, Ronald Cohen.

Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas and major cause of climate change.

More than two thirds of CO2 emissions come from urban environments, but detailed information on these emissions is scant to help the legislator in his decision.

With his team, Ronald Cohen recorded an annual drop of 1.8% in CO2 emissions over a period of five years.

Crossing this data with that of vehicle registration in the San Francisco region, where nearly one vehicle in 20 is electric or hybrid, allowed researchers to conclude that ;rsquo;electrification had a measurable impact.

"The State of California has an ambition to be net zero in 2045, and that requires a reduction in (emissions) of ;rsquo;a little over 3.5% per year over the next 20 years, Ronald Cohen told AFP.

An ambitious plan in California

California’s ambitious plan to reach "net zero emissions" &ndash – where CO2 emissions are greatly reduced and remaining emissions are offset – – place ahead of the rest of the country, and its overall plan to reach this milestone in 2050.

This western US state has some of the strictest environmental regulations in the US, including plans to ban the sale of all new thermal cars from here 2035.

Ronald Cohen, who plans to install a network of sensors in Los Angeles but also in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as in Providence on the American east coast, recognizes that the speed of ;rsquo;Adoption of electric vehicles in the San Francisco area makes it an atypical case study.

"But this shows that it’s possible", he said.

"This shows both that we can carry out measurements allowing us to evaluate the impact of public policies in cities, and to what extent point these policies result in measurable changes."

Approximately 45% of electricity consumed in California in 2022 came from fossil fuels, according to the authorities, a declining share in the face of the increase in renewables.