A trio of environmental scientists and city planners from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the University of Miami have discovered that residents of the same general area experience varying degrees of change in air quality as motorists gradually switch from gasoline-powered vehicles (GVs) to electric vehicles (EVs). The scientists found that air quality will, in general, further develop in higher-paying areas and continue as before or deteriorate in unfortunate areas.
Jaye Mejia-Duwan, Miyuki Hino, and Katharine Mach investigated the effects of introducing electric vehicles (EVs) in California on air quality in their study, which was published in PLOS Climate.
The researchers gathered and examined environmental data gathered as part of a government EV rebate program from 2010 to 2021 to learn more about the true impact of the switch from GVs to EVs. They discovered that while air quality generally improved in neighborhoods with higher incomes as sales of electric vehicles increased, this was not the case for poorer neighborhoods, where conditions either remained the same or worsened.
The disparity was explained by three main factors, according to the researchers. The first was pollution from sources other than engines. Due to tire and road wear, vehicles traveling on highways, which are typically closer to impoverished neighborhoods, generate additional pollutants. Tire track particles and brake cushion particles become airborne. Additionally, dust, dirt, and other particles close to the road surface are continuously whipped into the air by speeding cars in many locations.
The second reason poor neighborhoods’ air quality does not improve is that the demand to charge all the new electric vehicles on the road drives up air pollution from power plants. Additionally, power plants are typically situated closer to impoverished areas. The higher price of EVs is the third factor. Individuals in unfortunate areas frequently can’t stand to get them; subsequently, EVs are less likely to drive there.
More information: Jaye Mejía-Duwan et al, Emissions redistribution and environmental justice implications of California’s clean vehicle rebate project, PLOS Climate (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000183
