Research: Electric Cars Potentially More Pollution Than Fueled Vehicles

JAKARTA - A study published in 2022, but resurfaced after being mentioned in an opinion article at the WSJ, suggesting that electric cars may produce more pollution than traditional or fossil fuel cars.

The study found that electric car brakes and tires released 1,850 times more particles than modern exhausts equipped with filters to reduce emissions. This is due to the average weight of electric cars 30 percent higher than fossil fuel cars, causing brakes and tires to flow faster and releasing small particles that are often toxic to the atmosphere.

However, according to Hesham Rakha, a professor at Virginia Tech, the study was only "part true." Although electric cars are heavier, Rakha stated that it is not easy to distinguish the number of microplastics released by electric car tires and gasoline-fueled cars. Rakha and his team are conducting field tests to determine the difference.

The study comes amid California's efforts to ban all fuel vehicles by 2035, with claims that EVs constitute "zero emission" vehicles. However, research shows that additional weight caused by lithium-ion batteries on electric cars causes aus tires to accelerate, resulting in more emissions.

Research by Emissions Analytics found that electric car tires would produce more carbon emissions than exhausts, although California claims that EVs do not produce emissions because they do not have exhausts. While electric car tires and gasoline vehicle tires are predicted to run at the same level by the state of California, research shows that the additional weight of electric cars significantly affects the wear.

This study highlights the ongoing debate over the advantages of the electric car environment compared to traditional fueled vehicles. Although electric cars produce lower direct emissions, the manufacture and resources used to generate electricity to charge their batteries also have an environmental impact.

In response to these findings, experts recommend measures to reduce emissions from both types of vehicles, including the development of longer-lasting tires and the use of cleaner energy sources to generate electricity for electric cars. With attention to the environmental impact of transportation, research and innovation will continue to be needed to minimize the carbon footprint of motorized vehicles.