We can’t see it, smell it, or even touch it, but we know it’s there. And now more than ever, we must come together to protect this invisible power of nature – air.

To celebrate Clean Air Day 2022, we’re here to share more information about the UK’s toxic air crisis and how we – alongside all you EV enthusiasts – can work together to reduce the damage it’s causing on our environment and our health.

What is the UK’s toxic air problem?

Air is made up of many different gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone – if the level of any one of these gases rises too high, then the air we breathe can become harmful to our health.

In the UK, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM) pose the greatest risk to our air, with levels significantly high throughout our cities. The biggest contributor to these high levels is traffic emissions, with petrol and diesel-engined vehicles emitting a variety of pollutants which are having a dangerous impact on urban air quality.

Are rural areas safe from pollutants?

Unfortunately not. Photochemical reactions from the action of sunlight on nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – chemical gases that are typically emitted from road vehicles – leads to the formation of ozone, a secondary pollutant that often impacts rural areas far from the original emission site as a result of long-range transport.

As a result of the increasing risk to health, the World Health Organisation and the UK Government now recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today.

How InstaVolt is helping to solve the UK toxic air crisis

By enhancing the UK’s EV charging network and installing reliable, easy-to-use technology, we’re paving the way for an electric future of driving – in other words, more electric vehicles on our roads and fewer toxic emissions.

We’ve recently doubled the number of charging stations at our Stroud Park hub in Banbury – making it one of the largest in our network – in addition to an exciting new partnership with Rhug Estate in north Wales. By the end of 2022 we are also set to reach the impressive milestone of 1,000 rapid EV charger installations across our network, with 10,000 installations forecast for the next ten years.

But we understand that it’s all well and good to say these things, so here are some statistics to help put into perspective the impact of our efforts so far.

Since our very first charger installation, we have saved approximately 17,121,848 kg of CO2 – that’s the same weight as 13,150 cars!

In addition to this, all of the electricity that is supplied through our chargers comes from 100% renewable energy sources, including solar and wind farm sites.

How you are helping to solve the UK toxic air crisis

We all know that by switching to EV driving, you’re taking a huge leap forward in the fight to clean up the UK’s air, but how do you explain the benefits of an electric vehicle to those who are less familiar or hesitant to make the switch?

With no tailpipe in place, pure electric vehicles won’t produce any carbon dioxide emissions while driving – a massive difference from their petrol and diesel counterparts. In fact, in over a year, research has found that just one electric car could save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2 – the equivalent of four return flights from London to Barcelona!

Furthermore, with advancements in technology always bringing new ways of doing things, we’re optimistic that electric vehicle production will be looking even greener in the future.

 

So this Clean Air Day, let’s continue to share the message that we care about fresh air!

To find out more about how you can help fight back, check out the Global Action Plan website for more information. 

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