Does the increase in electric cars also mean cleaner air?
On paper, CO2 emissions from electric cars are 0 grams per kilometer. Will the air we breathe become cleaner as the number of electric vehicle drivers increases? A question that British Leasing Options also asked itself, which is why it decided to launch an investigation.
Of course, as many EV critics regularly point out, in practice it is not the case that electric cars are completely emission-free. Ultimately, the energy that powers electric vehicles must be generated somewhere else. At the moment it is still predominantly gray energy, but energy production should be more sustainable in the future.
Fine dust emissions from electric cars
In addition, all cars produce particulate matter, due among other things to wear and tear on tires and brakes. Thanks to the heavy battery pack that electric cars carry, the tires of electric cars are even heavier than the often lighter cars with conventional combustion engines.
However, these additional particle emissions are more than offset by the braking method. Electric vehicles often use regenerative braking, in which the electric motors work as a type of dynamo and generate electricity. This slows down the car, meaning that the actual brakes of electric cars are significantly less necessary. According to Milieu Centraal, electric vehicles emit 17 percent less particulate matter overall (i.e. the wear and tear of brakes and tires combined) than their fossil counterparts.
Correlation EV increase and air quality
Anyway, back to research. Curious about whether the increase in electric cars was affecting air quality, the British surveyed 26 European countries. The EV increase between 2021 and 2022 per 100,000 inhabitants and air quality during the same period were examined. “These results were then evaluated using an overall score of 51. The higher the score, the stronger the correlation between electric car use and overall air quality in that country,” the researchers write.
| country | Increase in EVs per 100,000 inhabitants 2021 – 2022 | percentage Improving air quality 2021 – 2022 | score (out of a total of 51) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 1,611 | +44.3% | 51 |
| 2 | Luxembourg | 937 | +17.8% | 47 |
| 3 | Malta | 1,543 | +13.3% | 45 |
| 4 | Norway | 2,570 | +6.7% | 42 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 460 | +7.4% | 38 |
| 6 | Sweden | 912 | +6.1% | 35 |
| 7 | Austria | 280 | +7% | 34 |
| 8th | Estonia | 75 | +16.9% | 32 |
| 9 | Hungary | 51 | +18.7% | 31 |
| 10 | Ireland | 318 | +6.3% | 30 |
Anyone who has ever taken research courses knows that correlation is not the same as causation. While the researchers found a connection, that doesn’t mean that the cleaner air quality is actually due to the increase in electric cars. Finally, it is not inconceivable that countries with a significant increase in electric vehicles are also trying to improve air quality (in other ways). That would fit the green ideals of many governments.