EVs are clean in more ways than you thought

Wednesday, 25 March 2020

Petrol pumps are one of the most germ-ridden things we touch regularly and with the spread of coronavirus in full swing, it might pay to be a bit more careful when taking advantage of low gas prices. It also means that owners of electric vehicles are at a bit of an advantage to their combustion-powered compatriots.

How? Far fewer people handle an EV charging plug than a typical petrol pump.

In fact, you could include most pure-electric vehicles in your self-isolation bubble because the only people aside from yourself touching the home charger are those you'd be spending the next four-odd weeks with anyway.

Studies have shown that petrol pumps are far more germ ridden even than a household toilet seat. According to Busbud, an average pump handle in America has 2,011,970 colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch of bacteria compared to just 172 CFU/sq in on a household toilet seat. Gross, right?

* Germs on planes: Are they really that bad?

* Drinking from refillable water bottle as bad as licking a toilet seat, study shows**

Now, some might be thinking (as I did) that coronavirus is a virus and this information is discussing bacteria, so it's not relevant, right? Not quite. COVID-19 is indeed a virus but it can be transmitted by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

You are seriously better off touching a toilet seat than these.

For example, if someone carrying the virus sneezes on the pump or the keypad and you touch it after they move on and rub your face, there's a fair chance you're going to be quite ill.

That said, it pays to mention that there aren't any substantiated reports of people being infected via petrol stations just yet. But why risk it?

Studies from the National Institutes of Health, the US Centres for Disease Control and multiple universities found that COVID-19 can survive for up to three days on stainless steel and plastic surfaces, both common materials at a petrol pump.

Having a small bottle of hand sanitiser in your car isn't as effective as a good soapy hand wash but it's better than nothing. Alternatively, disposable gloves are a good bet, if you don't mind contributing to landfill a little more. If nothing else, grab a couple of paper towels and hold the pump that way. It's a bit crude but it'll get the job done.

You could also whip up a spray solution consisting of between 62 and 71 per cent alcohol, or 0.5 per cent hydrogen peroxide bleach or household bleach containing 0.1 per cent sodium hypochlorite but you might look like a bit of a nut. Could be a good idea for home though, if you have stainless steel or plastic surfaces.

Of course, we'll all be self-isolating from tomorrow anyway. With any luck, it'll only be four weeks until we can fire up our cars again and go for a nice, detoxing drive.