Electric cars are not completely environmentally friendly.
Electric cars have long been mistaken for being environmentally friendly, but that's not necessarily the case.
While there are still some reservations, it seems that consumers are warming up to the idea of owning an electric car. Sales figures in the US show that cars like the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E are proving popular.
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Aside from technology and performance, buyers love the idea of zero-emission vehicles. But according to a new report from Emission Analytics, battery-powered vehicles aren’t as environmentally friendly as many people think. Obviously, these electrified cars don’t emit anything from their tailpipes (because they don’t have tailpipes)—but their tires are another story.
Research has found that during everyday driving, tire particulate emissions are 1,850 times greater than those emitted from the exhaust system. This only gets worse as heavy battery packs are fitted to electric vehicles, increasing the mass of the vehicle and thus putting more stress on the tires.
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The study notes that a battery weight of around 500kg could “result in tyre emissions that are nearly 400 times greater than those from an internal combustion engine vehicle’s tailpipe.” However, it’s worth noting that the report also says that an electric vehicle driver who uses the brakes and accelerator judiciously could eliminate tyre emissions.
According to the study, tire emissions go straight into the soil and water, while tailpipe emissions tend to linger in the atmosphere for longer periods of time, reducing air quality. Interestingly, 11% of tire emissions are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, the size that qualifies as a form of “fine dust.”
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The world's leading tyre manufacturers have been exploring eco-friendly alternatives for quite some time; Michelin's E.Primacy is the world's first carbon neutral tyre, ensuring a level of eco-friendliness.
According to Carbuzz
