The humble Mitsubishi Mirage has none of the hallmarks of a futuristic, environmentally friendly car. It is fuelled by petrol, runs on an internal combustion engine and spews exhaust emissions through a tailpipe. But when the Mirage is assessed for carbon emissions throughout its entire lifecycle – from procuring the components and fuel, to recycling its parts – it can actually be a greener car than a model by Tesla, the US electric vehicle pioneer. According to data from the Trancik Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Tesla Model S P100D saloon driven in the US midwest produces 226 grammes of carbon dioxide (or equivalent) per kilometre over its lifecycle – a significant reduction to the 385g for a luxury 7-series BMW. But the Mirage emits even less, at just 192g.
FT 8th Nov 2017 read more »
