MOBILIANCE

CO2 Emissions Saved Calculator

See how much carbon dioxide you keep out of the air each year by swapping car trips for an e-bike or e-scooter — with an equivalent in trees to make the number tangible.

A typical petrol car is ~170 g/km well-to-wheel.
An e-bike's charging footprint is only a few g/km.

CO2 saved per year

CO2 saved / year
810 kg
Equivalent trees
38.6
Car / year
850 kg
Micro-mobility / year
40 kg
Distance / year
5000

How the estimate works

Emissions scale with distance. Multiply the kilometres you ride in a year by a per-kilometre emissions factor and you get the total for each mode; the difference between the car and the micro-mobility figure is what you avoid. Because an e-bike’s charging footprint is a small fraction of a car’s tailpipe output, the saving over a year’s commuting adds up fast.

The tree equivalent turns an abstract kilogram figure into something easier to picture, using the common estimate that one mature tree absorbs about 21 kg of CO2 a year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the CO2 saving calculated?

For each mode the tool multiplies your annual distance by an emissions factor in grams of CO2 per kilometre, then converts to kilograms. The saving is the car's yearly emissions minus the e-bike or e-scooter's. Riding 5,000 km a year at a car's 170 g/km instead of an e-bike's 8 g/km avoids roughly 810 kg of CO2.

Do e-bikes and e-scooters really produce emissions?

Riding them produces none directly, but charging the battery draws electricity that may have been generated with some fossil fuel, and manufacturing has a footprint too. On an average grid the charging footprint is only a few grams of CO2 per kilometre — a small fraction of a car's — which is why the net saving is so large. On a clean grid it is smaller still.

What does the 'equivalent trees' figure mean?

A mature tree absorbs very roughly 21 kilograms of CO2 per year, so we divide your annual saving by that to give an intuitive comparison. It is a rough illustration rather than a precise accounting figure — real uptake varies enormously by species, age, and climate.

What emissions factor should I use for my car?

Around 170 g/km is a reasonable average for a petrol car on a well-to-wheel basis, but a large SUV can exceed 250 g/km while a small efficient car may be nearer 120 g/km. If you know your car's figure, enter it for a more accurate result.

Educational estimate only. Emissions factors vary by vehicle, grid, and method; the tree figure is a rough illustration, not a certified offset.