A team of Finnish researchers has found that while electric cars emit less carbon dioxide than other cars, their drivers emit more pollutants into the atmosphere than gasoline- or diesel-powered cars.

The reason, according to the researchers, is that electric cars are typically more expensive than gasoline or diesel-powered cars. That means they are beyond the budgets of many households and are mostly limited to people whose so-called "carbon footprint" is larger than the general population because they have more money.

In an article published in the journal PLOS Climate, the researchers noted that electric car owners are on average wealthier, drive more than the general population, and leave a higher-than-average "carbon footprint" due to their higher disposable income.

Researchers from the University of Turku surveyed around 4,000 people in Finland. And after summing up the results of the survey, they came to the conclusion that the high purchase price is perceived as one of the main disadvantages of electric cars.

According to some experts, electric cars can be more harmful than gasoline- and diesel-powered cars.

Although electric cars are emission-free due to the absence of an internal combustion engine, they can still emit some carbon dioxide (CO2) due to electricity. In addition, due to the complex manufacturing process, an electric car emits more CO2 than a car with an internal combustion engine.