The electric vehicle industry continues to take body blows. Since the Biden Administration began aggressively pushing its green agenda, effectively attempting to inflate the cost of gasoline so much that buyers would be nudged into the electric counterpart, among other things, the segment has struggled. As more of the vehicles hit the marketplace, the drawbacks and limitations became more magnified.
Range issues, costly repairs, lack of charging options, and unreliable performance have caused many who were considering one to reconsider and many who already took the plunge to get out of the pool. Once considered by the left to be the savior of the environment, the vehicles have proven to be untrustworthy, expensive, and, according to a resurfaced study from 2022, far worse for the planet than advertised.
The obvious concern, real or perceived to be related to gasoline-powered vehicles, is tailpipe emissions. While EVs don’t offer any emissions, they do pose an invisible, more insidious danger to the planet than tailpipe emissions. A study published in 2022 and largely forgotten recently received new life in a WSJ op-ed.
The study found that considering the weight of an EV, the tires and brakes will wear out much faster. So, what is the issue? Both release an invisible particulate into the air as the brakes and tires degrade. The study suggested that both release 1,850 more times particulate matter than a gasoline-powered tailpipe. Much of the particulate eventually finds its way into our ocean.
The microplastics shed by brakes and tires are currently estimated to be the second most common in terms of plastic ocean pollution. The massive weight of the vehicles due to the numerous batteries necessary to power the engine is the primary culprit. The heavier the vehicle, the more quickly tires and brakes degrade. Considering the size and composition of the batteries, it is hard to see how the weight can be effectively reduced.
Hesham Rakha, a professor at Virginia Tech, cautioned that the study is only “partially correct” because the same could be said for sedans versus SUVs amongst gas vehicles. However, he also added that EVs “also generate a lot of CO2 when charging your vehicle.” EV batteries weigh an estimated 1,000 pounds, which can result in tire emissions that are 400 times more than today’s tailpipe emissions.
The firm that did the study, Emissions Analytics, found that ‘Research shows they contribute to microplastic marine pollution, as well as air pollution from finer particles.’ While states like California are insisting on a ban on sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles, Jeremy Michalek, a professor of engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, told The New York Times, ‘If you’ve got electric cars in Pittsburgh that are being plugged in at night and leading nearby coal plants to burn more coal to charge them, then the climate benefits won’t be as great, and you can even get more air pollution.’
It seems like almost every day there are new horror stories from EV owners criticizing the vehicles for their range and reliability issues. Unseen dangers like microplastics could be much more insidious to respiratory health and the health of our oceans. The electric boondoggle continues to be revealed, and despite the Biden Administration’s aggressive push, consumers are beginning to push back with their dollars.
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