Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germany for the first time: Around 4% of the particulate matter consists of plastic. Around two-thirds of this comes from tire abrasion.
Electric vehicle are major culprits, no? They literally weigh tons more than ICE, a lot more friction between rubber and road and therefore more tire wear?
It’s a little trickier than that. My Mustang MachE weighs about 4900lbs. The Ford Escape, a similar vehicle by the same manufacturer weighs 3300lbs, so my EV is about 1.5 times more car than the ICE equivalent. However, my car uses regenerative braking, and there is a huge reduction in brake dust from EVs, which some quick googling says can make up to 55% of non-emmission related airborne particulate matter in urban areas. Not to mention that the EV releases 0% (or maybe like 30% depending on the power infrastructure) of the “tail pipe” emissions of a comparable ICE car.
It’s all kinda moot since the majority of brake dust and tire particulates come from the 80,000lb semi trucks.
I’m not doing a deep dive on any of the particulate emissions listed. It’s a complex field, and I’d consider those numbers as “factoids at best” but it a least gives us a ballpark number.
Then you gotta ask yourself how you’d compare microplastics vs other types of pollution.
Tricky question, gets back to the whole, “I’m a part time internet shit poster and not a pollution expert” bit. I think that the impacts of microplastic pollution is serious and needs to be reduced where possible and regulated when it can’t be reduced. I also think that the concern about MPs is valid and serious, but a bit overblown. I’ll leave you with the last bit to think about as well: There will never be another person born on this planet without microplastics in their body.
There’s always a trade-off of harm humans are causing themselves and the planet. My hope is that one day we are plastic and we will be enriching ourselves instead.
If they’re using the stock low rolling resistance tires, there’s actually less friction.
Not to say that’s necessarily a good thing, since it’s easier to spin the tires with all the extra ev torque.
The computer stops you from spinning the wheels. I chirped the tires on my CRZ making a measly 150lb-ft way more than I’ve ever chirped my MachE GT at 600lb-ft…which is 0 times. I think most the tire wear is going to come from turning/cornering in this case.
Lol the 80kw motor in my Ford c-max chirps the tires every 3rd takeoff, and like 90% of the time when roads are moist. Could just be because my model is a compliance car, but the traction control suuuucks.
You don’t have to floor the pedal every time. Maybe they should only unlock max torque on kick down.
More to save the car industry than the planet, surely.