Electric cars pollute air more than petrol cars, claims study

Electric vehicles saw accelerated adoption worldwide as consumers wanted to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere in a bid to save the Earth. Governments and automobile companies across the world encouraged the switchover from conventional fuel to ‘green fuel’. With the idea that EVs are more environment-friendly than conventional vehicles, people are increasingly changing their preferences. However, a new study has claimed that electric vehicles may not be as good for the environment as we think.

Pollution from EVs

According to a study by Emission Analytics, an emissions data analysis firm, electric vehicles create more pollution than cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE). It underscored the problem of particle pollution that the brakes and tyres in both electric and fossil fuel cars cause. However, because of their heavier weight, EVs add to the pollution significantly as particulate matter from their brakes and tyres is larger in volume than that coming from modern gas-powered vehicles with efficient exhaust filters.

Because EVs are heavier?

The heavier weight of electric vehicles causes tyres to degrade faster, releasing toxic chemicals and very tiny particles into the air. Tyre wear is one of the biggest causes of pollution from EVs because they are made from synthetic rubber derived from crude oil. Fossil fuel cars, on the other hand, release less particulates and tyre chemicals into the air, thanks to better tailpipes in them. The study also highlighted the weight of batteries inside electric vehicles exerts more pressure on brakes and tyres, which increases wear and tear. Tyre emissions from an electric vehicle using a half-tonne battery will be 400 times higher than those from a new petrol car.

The study mentioned that comparisons between electric and fossil fuel vehicles have historically been drawn on the basis of tailpipe emissions, but the wear and tear of tyres and brakes, too, needs to be assessed.