Here at What Do I Do With This, we like to look at the cooler side of green technology. Sometimes, though, some research catches our beady eye. In particular, a recent Swiss study has found that modern diesel-powered cars are actually better for the environment than their battery-powered (and supposedly more eco-friendly) counterparts.

Their study, titled “Contribution of Li-Ion Batteries to the Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles” (the full paper of which is available here) sees the team undertake some heavyweight research into the environmental effects of making (and disposing of) Li-ion batteries – the key component of a modern batter-powered car – and also takes a look at what the effect of charging these batteries from the mains (with electricity made by burning coal or gas) has on the environment.

The main takehome? You’re actually better off buying a new turbo-diesel (such as a Golf, Polo or similar).