Sustainability Newsletter – September 2025

Are UK cities considering following the Parisian lead in penalising heavier vehicles – specifically SUVs – for their implied environmental and social impact? A news story in The Guardian highlighting a campaign by pressure group Clean Cities suggests local authorities may indeed be inspired by the introduction of higher parking charges for heavy vehicles in Paris, as as reported in a previous Sustainability Newsletter.
There may be some eye-rolling at a story of this nature appearing in a right-on publication like The Guardian, and a sense of ‘they would say that, wouldn’t they’, but the Parisian rules were seemingly popular with the public who voted for them, and the paper reports London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh and others here are considering ways of penalising drivers of larger, heavier or more polluting vehicles.

Behind the clickbait headlines the reality is, inevitably, a little more nuanced. Yes, big, heavy SUVs remain popular and larger cars are proven to be more dangerous to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. But electric cars are heavier by their nature, and even relatively small ones like the Cupra Born we ran on long-term test can weigh close-on two tonnes. As ever, punitive charges for emissions, size, weight and similar are a blunt tool and can have unintended consequences. But if the conversation at least raises awareness that modern cars are getting a bit porky for our streets that’s a start, while the increasing numbers of smaller, lighter electric options like the Renault 5 celebrated in Erin’s recent Editor’s Pick can also only be a good thing.
Speaking of heavy electric SUVs, the new BMW iX3 is no lightweight on the scales. But in most other respects it shows an impressive dedication to treading a little lighter, the improved batteries matching the all-important energy density of existing equivalents but saving 80kg in the process. Not much out of car weighing well over two tonnes but a step in the right direction.

These incremental gains occur throughout the iX3, from the way it has been designed to the way it is built and the materials used in its manufacturing. A few examples we picked up in conversation with the sustainability team at a preview event included the fact the Generation 6 battery cells use 50 per cent secondary cobalt, lithium and nickel as well as being much more efficient. Nearly three quarters of the aluminium used in the wheels is from recycled sources. Indeed, nearly 750kg of recycled or secondary material goes into each iX3 in total, BMW looking beyond its own factories and to its suppliers to ensure all have sustainability on the radar. Another little example – recycled plastics used in the interior are sourced by paying fishermen for their old nets, giving them the incentive to save them rather than just dump them in the sea. As we reported last month, BMW isn’t the only one doing this but from chatting to the team involved it’s clear this is about more than just virtue signalling.
At the end of the day the iX3 is, of course, still an extravagant, high-tech and – to some people – obvious statement of all that is wrong with modern automotive tastes. But, when you dig a little deeper, is perhaps not the embodiment of planet killing excess some might think.

• Sustainability newsletter – August 2025 | Volvo talks carbon footprints, Vauxhall campaigns for accessible on-road charging and the SMMT calls for energy grid reform
• Sustainability newsletter – July 2025 | Kia helps clean up the oceans, BMW’s natural ‘carbon fibre’ and Volvo commits to using recycled steel • Sustainability newsletter – June 2025 | Reusing old electric car batteries, the antithesis of the Tesla Cybertruck and applications open for Edie’s Net-Zero Awards • Sustainability newsletter – May 2025 | Reducing emissions, creating a circular economy and the King’s Award for Enterprise, but are commercial vehicles being left behind? • Sustainability newsletter – April 2025 | Car brands fined for hiding data on recyclable material in their vehicles and a potential upside to American tariffs • Sustainability newsletter – March 2025 | Climate crisis, policy proposals and big changes at Bentley – is it too late for the car industry to become more sustainable? • Sustainability newsletter – March 2025 | Climate crisis, policy proposals and big changes at Bentley – is it too late for the car industry to become more sustainable? • Sustainability newsletter – February 2025 | Transatlantic divide on sustainability grows, UK charging and battery manufacturing gets a boost and Audi in a muddle • Sustainability newsletter – January 2025 | 2025 looks set to be the year of the affordable EV • Sustainability newsletter – December 2024 | Cornish Lithium’s UK sourced raw materials for electric car batteries and its wider role in carbon reduction • Sustainability newsletter – November 2024 | The Autumn Budget, sales of electric vehicles, sustainable materials and planning for the future • Sustainability newsletter – October 2024 | Industry asks government to make EVs more affordable in name of Net Zero and how sustainability works as a selling point • Sustainability newsletter – September 2024 | Road charging for electric cars, UK’s car manufacturers clean up their act and VW explores hemp-based bio interiors • Sustainability newsletter – August 2024 | Is stimulating electric car sales ‘green’ and how improved charging infrastructure is helping with the great summer getaway • Sustainability newsletter – July 2024 | Hidden carbon cost of tech, Volvo pushes for more recycled plastics and Renault secures greener supply chain for EV batteries • Sustainability newsletter – June 2024 | Farewell chrome plating, bravo for Renault’s recycled interiors and a cheer for the … circular economy for recycled tyres • Sustainability newsletter – May 2024 | Lithium is key in the production of electric car batteries, but where does it all come from and at what cost? • Sustainability newsletter – March 2024 | The importance of renewable energy in making sure electric cars really are the green choice, and one Dutch couple’s mission to prove it! • Sustainability newsletter – January 2024 | French act on heavy SUVs and embedded CO2 of imported electric cars, BYD plans European factory and Nio opens battery swapping centres • Sustainability newsletter – December 2024 | Vauxhall electrifies Britain’s streets, a second life for electric car batteries and recycled Alcantara seat fabric combines luxury and sustainability • Sustainability newsletter – November 2023 | Costs for EV batteries fall, funding for UK-sourced lithium project, GM goes renewable and Lynk & Co commits to life cycle CO2 audits • Sustainability newsletter – October 2023 | Costs for EV batteries fall, funding for UK-sourced lithium project, GM goes renewable and Lynk & Co commits to life cycle CO2 audits • Sustainability newsletter – September 2023 | Erin Baker shares her thoughts on the UK's changing net zero targets and delaying the 2030 ban for new petrol and diesel cars. • Sustainability newsletter – August 2023 | Zapmap reports increased charger installations, Lime's e-mobility revolution and Nissan's autonomous driving • Sustainability newsletter – July 2023 | Public charging network expands, hydrogen back on the agenda and choosing green tyres • Sustainability newsletter – June 2023 | BMW helps electrify the UK’s national parks and Kia ditches leather across its range of cars • Sustainability newsletter – May 2023 | What upholstery will you be choosing for your next car - leather or pleather? • Sustainability newsletter – April 2023 | Polestar’s ‘moonshot’ for a zero emissions car and a look into synthetic fuels as a possible lifeline for internal combustion classics • Sustainability newsletter – February 2023 | Our regular sustainability round-up continues with a look at some new recycled materials this month, all of which could be in your car soon • Sustainability newsletter – January 2023 | Eco awareness is driving more and more car buying decisions for a variety of reasons -here we celebrate those doing it right!