Electric vehicles are a useful tool for fighting sweaty city summers , according to a study published on Thursday . Switching from vehicles powered by fossil fuels to plug-in equivalents would ease a phenomenon called urban heat island , it said . The term describes what happens when city temperatures are driven higher by heat from traffic and air conditioners and by warmth , stored during the day in roads and buildings , which is released at night . Switching from vehicles powered by fossil fuels to plug-in equivalents would ease a phenomenon called urban heat island , researchers said . The term describes what happens when city temperatures are driven higher by heat from traffic and air conditioners and by warmth , stored during the day in roads and buildings , which is released at night . In some places , the buildup combines with a summer heatwave to inflict sweltering discomfort and heat stress . In some places , the buildup combines with a summer heatwave to inflict sweltering discomfort and heat stress . Writing in the journal Scientific Reports , specialists in China and the United States said urban heat island creates a vicious circle . The hotter it is , the more people crank up their air conditioning , which in turn disgorges more heat into the street , and so on . The team calculated what would happen in Beijing if petrol- and diesel-powered cars and light trucks were replaced by their electric equivalent . Their simulation was based on the weather in the Chinese capital in the summer of 2012 , when the city was three degrees Celsius ( 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit ) warmer than the surrounding countryside . Switching vehicles would have caused this to fall by 0.94 C ( 1.7 F ) , according to their model . 'Heatwaves kill , and in terms of climate change , even one degree can make a difference , ' said Jianguo Liu of Michigan State University , who took part in the study . The theoretical switch would also save the city 14.4 million Kilowatt-hours in electricity each day -- the daily equivalent of 10,686 tonnes of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions . The calculation took into account heat from the extra fossil fuel that would have had to be burned at local power plants to charge the electric cars . Electric vehicles emit only about a fifth of the heat of conventional cars . Electric vehicles emit only about a fifth of the heat of conventional cars . The team calculated what would happen in Beijing if petrol- and diesel-powered cars and light trucks were replaced by their electric equivalent . 'The replacement can mitigate heat island intensity , which can reduce the amount of electricity consumed daily by air conditions , benefitting the local and global climate , ' the study said . The researchers sounded a note of caution , pointing out that urban heat island has a basket of factors , some of which are sketchy . Particulate pollution , city layout , building design , energy efficiency and parks are also believed to play a part in worsening or mitigating it . The computer simulation focused only temperature change and energy savings . It was not designed to factor in the cost of introducing electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure , nor did it estimate the health benefits from less pollution . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
switching from vehicles powered by fossil fuels to plug - in vehicles would ease a phenomenon called urban heat islands . Electric vehicles emit only about a fifth of the energy of conventional vehicles . Team predicted what would happen in Beijing- and predicted a 1.7C drop .