The authors compare the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions from vehicles using internal combustion engines (ICE), battery electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and two types of hybrid vehicles, BEV-ICE hybrid and BEV-FCEV hybrid. This paper considers several scenarios for four countries’ electricity production from primary energy sources to estimate total CO₂ release. Energy consumption of the vehicle per 100 km, emissions during manufacturing, battery production, and lifecycle of the vehicle are considered in the total amount evaluation of CO₂ released. The results show that with current technologies for battery manufacturing, and a significant proportion of national grid electricity delivered by fossil fuels, BEV is the best choice to reduce carbon emissions for shorter driving ranges. In the case of electricity generation mainly by low-carbon sources, FCEV and BEV-FCEV hybrid vehicles end up with lower carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, with electricity mainly generated from fossil fuels, electric vehicles do not reduce CO₂ emissions compared to combustion cars.

The comprehension of the nature of science (NOS) is increasingly recognised as a crucial element of science education, and many countries have incorporated NOS-related elements into their national curricula. This development underscores the need to adequately prepare teachers to possess a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of NOS. This article explores pre-service teachers’ understanding of NOS when engaging with scientific biography. Using biographies is proposed as a pedagogical strategy for embedding NOS within the curriculum. Grounded in the consensus view of NOS, this study evaluates students’ conceptualisations by analysing interviews and student presentations of the scientists’ life stories. The findings reveal variations in the students’ awareness concerning general aspects of NOS. Some pre-service teachers demonstrate a more profound understanding of science, recognising its tentativeness, social dependence, and the influence of human factors. However, most students associate science and the generation of new knowledge primarily with the procedural aspects of experimental protocol writing. These findings suggest that biographical tasks may serve as an effective means of enhancing pre-service teachers’ understanding of NOS, thereby suggesting the value of integrating such approaches into teacher education programmes.

This study investigates the total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from various types of passenger vehicles in five Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and Paraguay. The aim was to analyze to which degree CO₂ output can be reduced in Latin America by switching from petrol cars to electric cars. The vehicles analyzed include petrol-driven cars, short-, mid-, and long-range battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles. The study examines the total CO₂ emissions including battery production, vehicle manufacturing, and their operation, considering the energy grid mix of the selected countries for the year 2023. Using experimental data and considering production conditions yields more reliable results than previous studies. The results indicate that battery cars with the shortest cruising range using batteries produced in Europe and/or America generate the lowest levels of CO₂ emissions, regardless of the energy mix. However, the emission values vary across different countries. In countries with a predominant share of renewable energy for the electricity generation, such as Paraguay, Brazil, and Ecuador, battery cars are the most effective in reducing overall CO₂ emissions. Conversely, in countries like Argentina and Mexico, where renewable energy sources constitute a smaller share of the energy mix, the use of electric vehicles yields only a minor reduction in CO₂ output, while emissions of long-range vehicles with batteries produced in Asia even exceed those of internal combustion engine vehicles. Therefore, eco-friendly electricity generation is a prerequisite for eco-friendly use of electric cars and should therefore be the goal of every country.