turned out to be more dangerous for health than conventional cars.
Scientists have found that electric cars cause more harm to the environment than traditional cars on the burned fuel.
How can this be, asks the ordinary man in the street, fascinated by Elon Musk and Tesla. After all, almost the main advantage of electric vehicles is their infamous eco-friendliness.
However, scientists are ready to provide serious arguments.
Exhaust is not the only harmful factor of road transport. There are others. And with them is associated the greatest damage to the environment, which is fraught with the use of electric cars.
Scottish researchers from Edinburgh University have found that moving electric vehicles leads to the release into the environment large amounts of hazardous particles. Greater amount than is the case with conventional cars, the researchers note.
A real exhaust
Decades the townsfolk told me the horrors of the exhaust emissions of internal combustion engines. The fight for fuel economy and increasingly stringent environmental standards have led to the ousting of the old engines-one million new single-use motors, which are not subject to overhaul.
And then came the electric cars that do not burn. It would seem, here it the direct route to solving the problem of transport and the environment.
But not so simple.
Electric cars do not burn anything. In this respect, in a clean win over traditional cars. Zero greenhouse gas emissions it is better than even the smallest indicators in the most environmentally friendly modern car.
However, electric cars dramatically lose a friend. They produce more harmful emissions of a different kind.
Scottish researchers Victor Timmers and A. George. Ahten found that electric cars produce even more particulate emissions than traditional cars.
The smallest solid particles are emitted during acceleration and braking of the machine. Sources of emissions are the brakes, tires (which gradually disappear with movement), as well as the road coating, which acts on the mass of the car.
In 2013, a British researcher from the University of Hertfordshire Ranjit Sohi conducted an interesting experiment. He has installed detectors of solid particles in road tunnel during the day, averaging about 50 thousand machines.
Sensors showed that a single pass through a tunnel the car was produced about 30-50 micrograms of solid particles. And only about one third of this volume was produced by the engines.
A large part of the harmful substances getting into the air was particles of bitumen road surface, the rubber wheel tyre and dust from the braking system.
Summing up his research, Sohi stressed that the exhaust gases – is not the biggest danger that cars are for the environment.
“Solid particles are much more harmful emissions, ” notes Ahten. They are toxic and can lead to a rise in the number of heart attacks, develop asthma and many other diseases.”
It is also important that the exhaust gases become harmful only in a relatively long term accumulation in the atmosphere and the increase in overall pollution. And the particulate emissions can be literally a snapshot of a negative impact on health.
The amount of emissions of solid particles depends on the mass of the car. The heavier the car the more energy required to to accelerate and the more force required to stop it.
But electric cars are significantly heavier than traditional cars. On average, 24%, experts say.
For example, the iconic Tesla Model S has a curb weight of 2100 kg, and the comparable BMW 7-Series – 1700 kg. Another popular electric car Nissan Leaf weighs 1500 kg, while approximately corresponding to the dimensions of the Volkswagen Golf with gasoline engine 1.2 l – 1200 kg.
Then it’s time to think about the almost comical complaints of owners of electric cars are that they have to change tires more often than on traditional cars.
All the weight of batteries that manufacturers are trying to literally stuff the electric cars to increase driving range on a single charge.
Batteries weigh a lot, so even the most compact of the modern electric cars are pretty heavy units.
Achten and Timmers found that electric cars average 1.5% higher particulate emissions from wear of tires by 2% – from wear of the brake system, and 10% from contacts with the road surface.
Such indicators of particulate emissions “override” the effect of ecology from a lack of exhaust gases, say the researchers.
The fight for the environment
And all of these calculations do not take into account such factors as emissions, which are caused by the production of electricity.
And here also lies the catch.
According to the research of American scientists from the University of North Carolina, in the United States, where a higher share of electric transport, the higher the overall level of harmful emissions.
Paradox? After all, electric cars do not give harmful emissions, and consequently, the environmental situation should be better.
However, in practice, the increase in the consumption of electricity (for charging electric cars) leads to an increase in its level generation. And it often leads to greater loading of power plants and other enterprises that generate electricity.
Elon Musk knowingly committed to solar energy. Moreover, the machine is not burned gasoline, it is necessary that the actual production of electricity does not harm the environment
Against this background it is clear why Elon Musk is heavily promoting the idea of solar energy and tries to use mainly solar panels as a power source for the charging stations Tesla.
A study of Scots – not the first in this area.
In 2013, USA was published the bestseller Zener Ozzie Green illusions. The author claimed that in most cases “green” color technology gives marketing. There is no energy crisis, emphasized the Zener, there is only consumer crisis, against which marketers and invent myths about environmentally-friendly technologies.
Even the most skeptical-minded experts believe that the new data means the collapse of the ideas Mask
Zener, in particular, referred to some studies that showed that the much-vaunted electric cars is not safe for the environment.
The study of Ahtena and Timers is by far the most eloquent confirmation of this theory.
Someone could assume that the OPEC countries are probably already rubbing their hands in anticipation of the imminent demise of electric cars.
However, even the most skeptical-minded experts believe that the new data means the collapse of the ideas of Mask and his followers.
Yeah, the particulate emission is not a joke, and they are harmful to health are huge, says automotive blogger Jason Torchinsky. However, to solve this problem we need at the global level, in particular, developing new materials for brakes, tires and road surface.
Anyway, the main consequence of the Scottish research, there must be a decrease of self-confidence and self-love them, ironically Torchinsky. At least until the manufacturers learn to make lighter batteries.
