Harmful Emissions: A Concern Also for Electric Vehicles

At issue: higher weight and larger tires, which lead to increased non-exhaust particulate emissions.

According to a report published by ADEME, electric vehicles also emit many fine particles. However, this does not mean that they have no ecological benefits.

Even electric, a vehicle always emits particles due to brake wear, tires, and road surface abrasion. The heavier the car, the more the amount of non-exhaust particles tends to increase. The size of the tires also influences these phenomena.

Non-exhaust particles: a real problem

Thanks to regenerative braking, electric cars emit on average fewer brake particles. But their higher weight and larger tires mechanically lead to an increase in other non-exhaust particles.

Meanwhile, thermal vehicles have significantly reduced their exhaust emissions level, thanks to the widespread use of particle filters. This leads ADEME to conclude: “Recent studies show no significant difference in total particle emissions between long-range electric vehicles and current new thermal vehicles, which hardly emit any particles from the exhaust”.

The ecological transition agency also recalls that, according to a study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), more than half of the particles generated by road traffic in Europe likely do not come from the exhaust.

Future improvements

Therefore, it is unnecessary to deny the significance of the issue, but some clarifications are still needed. As ADEME reminds us, electric vehicles do not emit nitrogen oxides or volatile organic compounds, unlike thermal cars. Concerning the tire-related problem, significant improvements are not unrealistic in the coming years. Some manufacturers are already developing special tires for electric cars, aiming among other things to reduce rolling resistance and thus particle emissions. This is notably the case for Goodyear, which last year introduced specifically designed covers for this type of vehicle.

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