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Comment by storus | Hacker News Reader

Much of PM2.5 particles is generated by tires. EVs are much harder on tires, often needing tire replacement after just 1 year. So on one hand, you get rid of PM2.5 from fossil fuels, on the other hand you increase tire PM2.5 five fold.

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You also get rid of brake dust (for the most part).

This study https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/report... (page 95) sees nowhere near 5 fold increase of particles from tire wear with EVs, for lightweight EVs you get a significant reduction in overall particle emissions.

They are not much harder on tires. Most of the EVs (like 90%, excluding USA behemoths) are only 20-30% heavier than a ICE vehicle of the same class. There are plenty heavier cars on the roads for the last century.

And where did you get this 1 year per tire metric? I see anecdotal reports that on EV with normal tires they last as long as on typical ICEs. I can't find any comprehensive report for either side for now.

It's not just the weight of the vehicle, but the typical torque. Braking, accelerating and going round corners can produce a lot of pollution.

Well, given typical speed limits in the city and most of the country roads, neither ICE cars not EVs can really utilize their torque or acceleration. Sure, you can go somewhere quiet on a weekend and rev up, but people commuting or driving for groceries don't really accelerate more than ordinary.

I'm not trying to diminish EV capabilities btw. I'm just saying that "tire scare" is waaay overblown in media.

However I have seen lots of reports that EVs wear through tyres quicker than ICE vehicles. Estimates do seem to vary a lot from 20% to 50% more wear.

Personally, I don't think media puts enough focus on tyre pollution for all types of cars - 6PPDQ is extremely toxic.

Yes. Though carbon emissions are of course the most burning issue, with emissions caused by traffic decreasing very slowly if at all, unlike other major CO2 sources. But indeed EVs only really solve a few of the many external costs of personal vehicles.

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