70 percent reduction of greenhouse gases in 2030 compared to 1990. This is Denmark's new climate target, which the S-government launched together with Radikale Venstre, SF and Enhedslisten, before most of Denmark went on summer vacation. Now we must start the climate journey 2030. It is urgent. It is a wild challenge that requires us to tackle the climate's pain child: transport.

While many other sectors are reducing the emission of CO2 – at least in Denmark – the climate impact of transport is increasing. In total, transport accounts for approximately 28 per cent. of Denmark's emission of greenhouse gases. It has to stop.

The electric cars have the potential to emit no CO2 at all, if the energy that goes into producing the cars and charging the batteries is entirely produced with renewable energy sources such as wind and sun.

The challenge is so enormous that all green technologies must come into play. There is still a great deal of debate about which technologies can best and cheapest make aviation, ship traffic and heavy road transport climate neutral. But not as far as passenger cars are concerned. Here, the experts agree that electric cars are the right way for a greener car fleet.

Electric cars emit less CO2 than diesel cars and are three times more energy efficient. In Denmark, they emit approximately half as much CO2 as diesel cars, also when you include the CO2 emissions from the production of the batteries.

The electric cars have the potential to emit no CO2 at all, if the energy that goes into producing the cars and charging the batteries is entirely produced with renewable energy sources such as wind and sun. And that is exactly what many car manufacturers are working on, so that in the long run they can sell a completely CO2-neutral electric car.

It is therefore shameful that Jyllands-Posten time and again casts doubt on the electric cars. Despite science saying otherwise. It damages the green transition.

100 million cars are sold annually in the world. 20 million of them in Europe. That production will affect the environment and climate, even if all the cars are electric cars, and therefore the press must of course look at the industry on the maps and point out the problems. But now remember to use the experts in the field.

Most recently in the article "Experts disagree wildly: How much do electric cars suck?", where a group of professors get speaking time, even though they know nothing about electric cars or batteries. For example, they are not aware that the official calculations of the energy consumption in a diesel car with the old NEDC test do not correspond to the actual consumption. It is much higher, which means even greater emission of CO2.

In addition, the professors use old and far too high figures for CO2 emissions in the production of batteries, and they also use too high a figure for electricity production. Experts in the field have long since rejected the claims, but Jyllands-Posten still brings them.

Electricity is one of the planet's lifesavers - along with a lot of other green solutions. In Denmark, approximately 70 per cent of the electricity from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, and in 2030 the electricity will be 100 per cent green.

In two years, consumers in Denmark and the rest of Europe will be able to choose between 209 different electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars. This is three times as many models as today and almost corresponds to the selection of petrol cars in Denmark in the first half of 2019.

When it comes to the market with electric cars, it is due both to EU regulation and to the fact that there is a broad consensus in the car industry and among researchers, officials and organizations worldwide that electric cars are the obvious green technology to take over from petrol and diesel in passenger cars.

That is why the car industry dares to invest the astronomical sums needed to develop new car models, rebuild the car factories and create a powerful charging infrastructure that brings the charging of electric cars down to 10-15 minutes.

And with a green conscience, you can retire the petrol and diesel guzzler and get behind the wheel of an electric car – regardless of what Jyllands-Posten writes.

Debate article published in Jyllands-Posten on 12 August 2019

By JEPPE JUUL, transport policy officer in the Ecological Council and president of Transport & Environment and LÆRKE FLADER, branch manager of the Danish Electric Vehicle Alliance

See the debate entry in the Jyllands-posten here.