Molden and Schmidt: the sustainable motoring podcast

Nick and Oliver are joined by EV expert Ade Thomas - creator of World EV Day and the Ebike Summit, and publisher of ElectricDrives. On the agenda - how do you choose the most environmentally-friendly EV to buy? What matters more - price, or range? And as software becomes ever more important, will models become obsolete more quickly?

All kinds of alternative fuels are appearing on the market - made from plants, vegetable oil, waste plastic, or synthesised. In theory they provide a third route to decarbonisation - after battery-electrics and hybrids. Alternative fuels are clean and many work with standard petrol/diesel engines. So what's the catch?

The 2035 ban is looming for petrol/diesel vehicles in the UK and Europe. But there are signs - particularly in the EU - that manufacturers are pushing back. Several major car-makers are shifting emphasis away from electric and towards hybrids - or even traditionally-fuelled engines. How will regulators respond? Are we heading for a showdown? And who will blink first?

The US has quadrupled import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to a whopping 100%. But only China can make battery EVs at an affordable mass-market price. So does this spell trouble for taking the carbon out of American motoring? And how will Europe resolve its own dilemma? Resist China's EVs and say goodbye to the 2035 target? Or allow a flood of cheap imports, whatever the consequences?

Europe and the UK are set to ban petrol/diesel cars in just nine years' time. But with electric-vehicle sales falling - and production-capacity inadequate - the deadline looks increasingly unachievable. So what happens now? And why have policy-makers pushed the ban so aggressively?

You're buying a new car - how do you choose the most sustainable option? And what's better for the environment: a brand new electric vehicle, or extending the life of your old banger - even a 1936 Bentley? The answer to both questions is...it's complicated.

Tyres are the dirtiest part of your car. They generate 1,000 times more emissions than the tailpipe, and toxic tyre debris is poisoning waterways. But regulators have only just begun to grasp the problem. And there's a real conundrum - because electric vehicles are the worst offenders.

Hybrid vehicles generate more CO2 than full battery-electrics - but less than traditional internal combustion engines. Compared with electrics, hybrids are cheaper, and you don't have to charge them - which makes the vehicles an easier proposition for consumers. But then again...they still use petrol. So where should the focus be? That's the question Nick and Oliver try to answer.

Nick the emissions analyst, and Oliver - then a Volkswagen exec - used to be on opposite sides of the fence. Here's how they met, crossed swords - but then found common cause.