UK National Grid

Carbon Content of the UK Grid:

637 gCO₂/kWh

Last updated at 18:00
This figure takes into account source supply and average transmission losses

CO₂ Content:	Grid Utilisation:
BELOW AVERAGE	EXTREMELY HIGH

Should I plug in my electric car?

NO!

This is a peak time for electricity usage. There is HIGH DEMAND for electricity across the nation at this time. 79% of the electricity supply is generated from fossil fuels.

Please do not plug your electric car in to charge up just yet.

Why are our carbon figures higher than other carbon footprint calculators elsewhere on the web?
Our carbon calculator not only takes into account the generation of the electricity at the power station, but also the carbon footprint for extracting and transporting the raw materials to the power stations and the generation losses between the power stations and the consumer.

The figures also take into account the construction of the power station and the decomissioning at the end of its life.

For this reason, our carbon figures are typically 70-80g/kWh higher than most other calculators on the web.

Where our power is coming from:

Power Source:	Megawatts:	Percent:
Closed Cycle Gas Turbine	21,793 MW	37.0%
Open Cycle Gas Turbine	132 MW	0.2%
Oil	-	-
Coal	24,240 MW	41.1%
Nuclear	8,121 MW	13.8%
Wind Turbines	1,610 MW	2.7%
Hydro Pump Storage	1,710 MW	2.9%
Hydro	857 MW	1.5%
Other	510 MW	0.9%
Import from France	-	-
Import from Ireland	-	-
Import from The Netherlands	-	-
Total	58,973 MW	100.0%

How eco-friendly is an electric car?

Based on the carbon footprint right now, this is how an electric car compares to a conventional car:

REVA L-ion	58 g/km
Mitsubishi iMiEV	64 g/km
REVA i	71 g/km
MINI e	78 g/km
Nissan LEAF	98 g/km

Toyota Prius	107 (89)g/km*
Fiat 500 TwinAir	114 (95)g/km*
Ford Fiesta ECOtec	118 (98)g/km*
VW Polo Bluemtn	119 (99)g/km*
Honda Insight	122 (101)g/km*
MINI Cooper D	125 (104)g/km*
Fiat Panda ECO	143 (119)g/km*
BMW 116i	172 (143)g/km*
Ford Focus 1.6i	189 (157)g/km*
Average new car in the UK	196 (163)g/km*
Dodge Journey	252 (209)g/km*

*The figures in brackets show the 'Tank-to-wheel' figures for fuel used in a conventional car. These are the figures published by the motor manufacturers to show the carbon impact of driving their vehicles. The main figures show 'well-to-wheel' figures (including oil extraction, refining and transportation), giving a more accurate comparison to the full 'well to wheel' figures for an electric car.