MY reporting of the amount of money I have saved by driving an electric car seems to have triggered scepticism and accusations that I am only saying this because I am a member of the Green Party (Electric car gains not just about planet, Craven Herald letters, October 24).

I confess that I did buy a fully electric car because of a moral choice. The environmental gain of never buying any petrol whilst driving 20,000 miles massively outweighs any concerns over the damage that is done by mining for lithium.

What genuinely surprised me was the extent of the very real financial savings. It costs around £12 for the equivalent of a full tank of petrol and that has saved me around £5,000 so far.

If anyone doubts the environmental benefits of moving away from fossil fuels, I suggest they study the images coming out of Valencia where lives have been lost and billions of pounds of damage added to car insurance costs.

If anyone doubts the savings, I suggest they look at the counter on the petrol pump as they fill up and consider the alternative of being powered by very cheap electricity generated by wind power that is currently going to waste at 2pm in the morning.

I speak from personal experience rather than theory. Electric cars are great value and a joy to drive.

Andy Brown Green Party

Cononley