Not OP, but tire dust is a real problem. It’s one of those things we haven’t studied until very recently. It’s just gone under the radar because it’s easy to point at tailpipe emissions.
Now are EVs worse? If we compare the same class of vehicle, EVs are going to be about 20% heavier, so yes, they’re going to create more tire dust. Is that worse than the tailpipe emissions from a gas vehicle? Probably not. But it’s deceptive to not include tire dust when comparing emissions between the two vehicle types.
I very much agree that tyre dust is a problem, and that weight is a large issue.
However, these kinds of caveats are routinely used to downplay the level of harm reduction that transitioning ICE cars to EVs would bring. Note how right-wing media basically uses this technique - mostly with the emissions associated with making EV batteries - to justify the continued use of ICE cars.
The antidote is to require numbers for this type of claim.
Fwiw, I don’t own any kind of car, I bike and take transit everywhere, and I’m broadly against cars on account of their outsized negative impact on society. I still believe EVs represent a necessary amount of harm reduction.
This comment is not useful unless backed up with data on how much relative emissions this would contribute.
Unless provided, please refrain
Not OP, but tire dust is a real problem. It’s one of those things we haven’t studied until very recently. It’s just gone under the radar because it’s easy to point at tailpipe emissions.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/tire-dust-makes-up-the-majority-of-ocean-microplastics-study-finds
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriewinkless/2024/12/18/tires-shed-millions-of-tonnes-of-microplastics-into-the-environment/
Now are EVs worse? If we compare the same class of vehicle, EVs are going to be about 20% heavier, so yes, they’re going to create more tire dust. Is that worse than the tailpipe emissions from a gas vehicle? Probably not. But it’s deceptive to not include tire dust when comparing emissions between the two vehicle types.
I very much agree that tyre dust is a problem, and that weight is a large issue.
However, these kinds of caveats are routinely used to downplay the level of harm reduction that transitioning ICE cars to EVs would bring. Note how right-wing media basically uses this technique - mostly with the emissions associated with making EV batteries - to justify the continued use of ICE cars.
The antidote is to require numbers for this type of claim.
Fwiw, I don’t own any kind of car, I bike and take transit everywhere, and I’m broadly against cars on account of their outsized negative impact on society. I still believe EVs represent a necessary amount of harm reduction.