Context: In recent years, there has been a global transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) largely driven by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. However, recent research reveals negative impacts of the deployment of EVs.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key Highlights of the recent study on EVs impact on environment.
Electric Vehicles
- Electric Vehicles (EVs) are rapidly gaining popularity across the globe. While they make up only 2% of the total global vehicle stock, they accounted for about 20% of all new car sales in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
- In India, around 2.5% of new cars sold in 2024 were electric, and the government plans to increase this to 30% by 2030. In China, EVs already account for nearly 50% of new car sales.
Key Highlights of the Study
- Typically, an EV is at least 15-20% heavier than a comparable conventional vehicle majorly due to the weight of batteries. EVs on account of their greater weight experience higher wear and tear in their tyres compared to conventional vehicles. Thus, EVs release substantially larger numbers of small plastic particles in the atmosphere.
- EVs are also able to accelerate more rapidly. This can lead to additional stress on the tyres due to increased friction and heat generation. Primary fragmentation (from potholes, braking) produces smaller airborne particles while Sequential fragmentation (gradual wear) produces larger particles.
- The tyres of heavier and faster-moving vehicles produce a higher proportion of smaller particles (about 1-10 micrometres). Unlike the larger particles that settle on the ground due to gravity, smaller particles remain suspended in the air, adding to the concentration of air pollutants.
Way Forward
- Expand air quality regulations: Current air quality regulations focus on PM2.5 and PM10, but with the rise of EVs and increased emission of even smaller tyre fragments, these standards need to be expanded to cover ultra-fine particulate pollution.
- Incorporate Non-Exhaust Emissions: Emissions standards would probably need to account for non-exhaust emissions from vehicles.
- Research & Development in tyres: Tyre manufacturers would need to invest in research and development to produce sturdier tyres that are better suited to heavier EVs.
- Improve road infrastructure: Better roads reduce tyre damage and pollution.