Matthew was pleased to be accompanied by the Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb MP, on a visit to the Tesla showroom at Brent Cross. During the visit they were shown the electric vehicles being bought by many local people.

The cars are capable of driving up to 245 miles on a single charge from the home of the motorists. However, the cars can be ‘topped up’ at petrol stations and service stations which a quick charge electricity system that allows motorists to undertake extended journeys. The cost of powering such vehicles is not only cheaper than conventional internal combustion engines but also has less of an impact on the environment through a reduction in emissions.

In April 2014, Public Health England (PHE) calculated the local impact of particulate matter pollution on premature mortality. The conclusion was death rates ranging from 2.5% in some local authorities in rural Scotland and Northern Ireland to over 8% in some London boroughs. The PHE report confirmed an estimation by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants that approximately 29,000 deaths per year in the UK could be attributable to man-made particulate matter pollution, equivalent to a loss of 340,000 life-years. 

Matthew said: “Our visit was about much more than looking at new cars - it was about seeing the technology that will help to reduce carbon emissions and particulate matter pollution in the 21st century. This is a very important issue for me, as demonstrated by my contribution to Parliament's Environmental Audit Select Committee’s report into Air Quality, published in December. Air pollution continues to be an invisible killer and the advancement in electric car technology will be a significant contribution to future carbon monoxide reductions. I am pleased that the Secretary of State showed such an interest in this technology and how people in the Hendon constituency are considering such vehicles.”