How the coronavirus pandemic is driving electric vehicle sales up and carbon emissions down

Name: Six months after WHO declared Covid-19 a public health emergency, what more do we know now?
Uploaded: 2020-09-20T22:15:09.000Z
Duration: 7 min 54 s
Description: Six months after WHO declared Covid-19 a public health emergency, what more do we know now?

The pandemic has forced cuts in transport-linked emissions and, by one estimate, US commuters are saving US$750 million a day by not driving to work. Electric vehicles may finally be on the road to a significant market share

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Tesla electric vehicles on the assembly line at a factory in Shanghai, on January 7. Photo: Reuters

David Dodwell

Published: 6:15am, 21 Sep 2020Updated: 6:38am, 21 Sep 2020

I like to think of myself as a global pioneer in the non-use of cars. Over my 35 years living in Hong Kong, I have militantly resisted the temptation to use a car, and occasionally it makes me feel a tad superior.

But, of course, I recognise that Hong Kong is not the rest of the world, and while it is reasonable and quite easy to subsist in this city without owning your own car, relying instead on taxis and the impeccable public transport, I know this is not true or realistic in most cities or countries worldwide.

So the past six months of coronavirus lockdowns have provided new and valuable insights into the likely future of transport. On balance, the wave of climate science is likely to provide the foundations for less-energy-intensive transport, but there are some unexpected and rather unwelcome effects, too.

There are two particularly unhelpful Covid-19 impacts. First, global oil prices have collapsed as recession has quelled demand for oil. This has reduced the incentive for vehicle-makers to invest in the shift to electric vehicles and battery power.

And, second, the social-distancing rules arising from the global pandemic have raised fears in many countries over the use of public transport, encouraging many to retreat to the comfort and safety of their own cars.

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Six months after WHO declared Covid-19 a public health emergency, what more do we know now?

But, most of the pandemic impacts have been helpful as we look ahead to a more energy-efficient future, with a gradual shift to electric-powered transport, and at least 17 countries having now committed to zero-emissions transport by 2050.

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