Electric cars are not completely environmentally friendly.
Electric cars have long been mistakenly thought of as environmentally friendly, but that's not necessarily the case.
While there are still some reservations, it seems 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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Beyond technology and performance, buyers love the idea of zero-emissions 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 weighing 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 ground 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 counts as a form of “fine dust.”
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The world's leading tire manufacturers have been exploring eco-friendly alternatives for quite some time; Michelin's E.Primacy is the world's first carbon neutral tire, ensuring a level of eco-friendliness.
According to Carbuzz
