According to new research study, installing bigger batteries in the electric vehicles can certainly boost their range but it can increase the particulate emissions from the tires significantly. The study was conducted in the UK by an independent emission testing organization called Emissions Analytics.
The organization has already sounded the alarm in the year 2020 emphasizing that the particulate emission from the tires is 1,000 times worse than that of tailpipe emissions. This particular study was designed to measure the worst-case scenario associated with the emissions from the tires under the legal driving cycle. The study was the result of the analysis that had been conducted in the interim and had included a range of different driving conditions to come to this conclusion.
The organization conducted a detailed analysis of hundreds of new tires and in order to quantify the chemical emissions from tires, it has worked with the National Physical Laboratory of the UK. After all detailed analysis, Emissions Analytics has come up with a conclusion that particulate emission from the normal driving conditions is 1850 times more than that associated with the tailpipe emissions.
The overarching trend of the study concluded that tailpipe emissions increase as the car gets older while the proportion of the tire wear emissions depends on the aggressiveness of the driving style and mass of the vehicle. This implies that larger weights of the battery worsen the particulate emissions from the tires. For example, adding half of a metric ton of battery weight can result in 400 times increase in tires’ emissions as compared to the tailpipe emissions in the real world.
It is also worth noting that while tailpipe emissions remain suspended in the air for some time while emissions from the tires would directly go into the water and soil. Also, 11% of the total emissions from the tire have a size of more than 2.5 microns which are less than threshold set for the particulate matter causing respiratory problems.
In order to tackle climate change, tailpipe emissions need to be controlled significantly. This has been done with the introduction of more efficient engines and importantly by enhancing the production of more electric vehicles across the globe. Also, a study conducted in 2021 signifies that tires also contribute significantly to the aspect of microplastic pollution and hence, there is a need to control the emissions from tires significantly.
