Is it greener to keep my petrol car or scrap it for an electric one?

Is it more environmentally friendly to keep my 23-year-old petrol car or to scrap it and buy a new electric one? I drive about 8000 kilometres a year and am quite old, so my car may outlast me.

Stephen Johnson
Eugene, Oregon, US

While the general idea of replacing an old petrol car with an electric car has environmental benefits, there are many issues that make it unlikely this is a wise decision in this particular case.

Looking first at the issue of carbon, a new electric car requires around 6 tonnes of carbon for its manufacture. During operation,…