Electric vehicles
pixabay
There has been a notable increase in the popularity of electric vehicles, leading many governments to introduce incentives to encourage their use.
Environmental benefits
pixabay
A study by emissions testing company Emission Analytics is challenging the environmental benefits of EVs.
Efficient
pixabay
The study suggests that due to their heavier weight, electric vehicles may actually emit higher levels of particulate matter from tires compared to modern vehicles with efficient exhaust filters.
Substantial
pixabay
The disparity in emissions they discovered is substantial. As the study notes, “Comparing real-world tailpipe particulate mass emissions to tire wear emissions, both in ‘normal’ driving, the latter is actually around 1,850 times greater than the former.”
Wall Street Journal
pixabay
Although conducted several years ago, the study has recently garnered renewed interest after being featured in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece authored by a partner and a research fellow at the law firm Boyden Gray PLLC.
Disputes
pixabay
The Guardian claimed the tests “have not been peer-reviewed by scientists, and the industry disputes the findings.”
Nick Molden
pixabay
Nick Molden, the founder and CEO of Emissions Analytics, is not advocating for stopping the shift to electric vehicles. He clarified this in a statement to the New York Post saying “the best first thing” to do is to minimize the toxic chemicals in tires and “then you got the best of both worlds.”
California’s proposal
pixabay
The opinion piece discussed California’s proposal to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. It contended that although the plan is intended to reduce public health hazards, eliminating gasoline cars “would do little to reduce particulate emissions” and could even increase them.
Stressed
pixabay
The writers stressed that vehicles account for only approximately 1% of California’s overall direct fine particulate matter emissions, with a notable proportion coming from older models, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Criticized
pixabay
Moreover, the opinion piece criticized California’s depiction of particulate emissions, alleging that it is speaking “as if their primary source” were the tailpipe.
Majority
pixabay
The writers cited the Emission Analytics research, which indicates that the majority of vehicle-related particulate matter originates from tire abrasion.
Dramatically
pixabay
According to the official website of the California Air Resources Board, “An electric car produces zero tailpipe emissions, dramatically lowering air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions even when considering electricity generation. And, even when considering emissions from the powerplant, electric vehicles are cleaner than gas cars. For instance, in California, where 45% of electricity is currently generated from fossil fuels, a gas car would need to get 134 mpg to match an electric vehicle.”
California
pixabay
“[EVs] have greater tire wear, the source of most particulate matter. California is trying to conceal that fact,” the authors wrote. They also questioned California’s classification of Electric Vehicles as as “zero emission vehicles,” labeling it as “deceptive.”
Pollution
pixabay
“Generating the electricity that powers those cars creates particulate pollution, and of course electric cars still use tires, which are made from petroleum,” the authors explained, adding that EVs “weigh far more than gasoline-powered ones, so their tires degrade faster.” They pointed out that the California Air Resources Board employed a model that assumes uniform tire wear between Electric Vehicles and gasoline-powered vehicles when assessing the ban’s consequences.
Heavier
pixabay
They argued that, in practice, Electric Vehicles are significantly heavier because “batteries store far less energy per pound than liquid fuels,” resulting in 15% to 30% greater weight.
