TRAVEL

Take a drive in a clean machine.

Make your next car an electric or hybrid vehicle. Take this step and decide a level of commitment that works for you. Try it for a month to see how you do.

Try it

START HERE

What kind of fuel does your car use?

Drive Electric Or Hybrid

We have to cut carbon emissions in half every decade, which means we need to phase out fossil fuels. What we drive has a direct impact on the global market for fossil fuels as well as our own carbon emissions. As the technology improves, electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular. More than 3 million people bought electric cars in 2020, which is a 43% increase in just one year. The next time you’re thinking about getting a car, consider an electric or hybrid one - your purchase will significantly reduce your carbon emissions and improve air quality for you and your community.

Individual Impact

Combine Impact

Effort

Tips

To find the one that’s right for you, it’s helpful to understand the difference between electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) cars. Both hybrid and PHEV cars give more flexibility for longer drives, but the range of electric vehicles is increasing all the time.

Check your car’s fuel consumption and compare it with electric and hybrid models to see what you could save.

Even if you aren’t in a position to buy a new car, you can still take one for a test drive. It’s good to start researching early - and it lets the industry know people are interested.

Benefits

Air pollution is a significant issue in many areas worldwide, causing health issues in people of all ages. Using electric and hybrid vehicles reduces the emissions in the air so we can all breathe easier.

By 2050, Hybrid cars could reduce carbon emissions by nearly 8 gigatons and save owners over US$6 trillion in fuel and operating costs; electric cars could reduce carbon emissions by nearly 16 gigatons, saving over US$21 trillion in fuel costs.

Steps

REFERENCES

Global sales of electric cars accelerated fast in 2020, rising by 43% to more than 3m.
The Guardian
Hybrid cars can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4.6–7.9 gigatons by 2050, saving owners US$3.0-6.1 trillion in fuel and operating costs over the lifetime of the cars.
Project Drawdown, Hybrid cars
If electric car ownership rises to 16–23 percent of total passenger km at a first cost of $4.7–6.0 trillion, by 2050, 11.9–15.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide from fuel combustion could be avoided as well as US$15.3–21.8 trillion in fuel costs.
Project Drawdown, Electric Vehicles
Impact metric calculations
To determine the carbon emission reduction estimates related to switching to an electric car or hybrid car, the following calculations were performed:
(Fossil fuel car; kg CO2e/month) – (Lower emitting car; kg CO2e/month)
Fossil fuel car:
(miles/week) / (miles/gallon) x (kg CO2e/gallon) x (weeks/month) = kg CO2e / month
Lower emitting car (electric or hybrid):
(miles/week) x (kg CO2e/mile) x (weeks/month) = kg CO2e / month

For detailed calculations, references and assumptions, please see our Methodology page.

Impact metric calculations