Article · Energy · Money and markets
Ember: electric cars saved the EU $3.1 billion of oil since the Iran war began. What that number means and what it does not show
On 14 October 2026 the energy think tank Ember published that between March and August 2026 electric-car fleets in 56 countries saved about $20 billion of crude oil, roughly 200 million barrels; the EU member states' share was $3.1 billion (€2.76 billion per Euronews), mostly Germany (about $760 million) and France (about $560 million). It is a model estimate, not a measured fact, and not net savings for drivers: the cost of electricity is not subtracted. Brent was near $100 a barrel on 22 October 2026, against $67 on 27 February, before the war.
On 14 October 2026 the energy think tank Ember published that since the US-Israel war on Iran began, electric-car fleets around the world have "saved" about $20 billion of crude oil. The European Union's share, according to Euronews, is $3.1 billion, about €2.76 billion. The number is real as a model estimate, but it does not show what it appears to.