Electric Cars Are Making It Easier to Breath: Study
a day ago
- #Air Quality
- #California
- #EVs
- A new study in The Lancet Planetary Health shows that increased numbers of EVs and plug-in hybrids in California improve air quality.
- For every 200 EVs or plug-in hybrids added, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels dropped by 1.1% between 2019 and 2023.
- NO2 is linked to asthma attacks, bronchitis, and increased risks of heart disease and stroke.
- EVs and plug-in hybrids rose from 2% to 5% of new light-duty vehicle registrations in California during the study period.
- Researchers used satellite and DMV data to track vehicle registrations and NO2 levels across 1,692 neighborhoods.
- The study controlled for factors like gas prices and pandemic-related driving changes to isolate the impact of EVs.
- Neighborhoods with more gasoline-powered cars saw expected increases in pollutants, confirming the study's findings.
- The study supports California's goal to phase out most new gasoline car sales by 2035 for better air quality.