GCC: New Emissions Analytics study suggests pollution from tire wear now 1,850 times worse than exhaust emissions

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GRA

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https://www.greencarcongress.com/2022/05/20220513-ea.html


In early 2020, UK-based independent testing firm Emissions Analytics published a study claiming that tire particulate wear emissions were 1,000 times worse than exhaust emissions (earlier post). Since that study, which was transparently designed to quantify the worst-case tire emissions under legal driving, Emissions Analytics has been testing and analyzing tire wear emissions in more detail across a wider range of driving conditions, and has performed a detailed chemical analysis of hundreds of new tires.

The company has also worked with the National Physical Laboratory in the UK objectively to quantify the uncertainties in the measurements of chemical composition.

Emissions Analytics now concludes that, comparing real-world tailpipe particulate mass emissions to tire wear emissions, both in ‘normal’ driving, the latter is actually around 1,850 times greater than the former.

Quoting such ratios, however, needs careful interpretation. The fundamental trends that drive this ratio are: tailpipe particulate emissions are much lower on new cars, and tire wear emissions increase with vehicle mass and aggressiveness of driving style. Tailpipe emissions are falling over time, as exhaust filters become more efficient and with the prospect of extending the measurement of particulates under the potential future Euro 7 regulation, while tire wear emissions are rising as vehicles become heavier and added power and torque is placed at the driver’s disposal. On current trends, the ratio may well continue to increase.

—Emissions Analytics. . . .

The company notes that an important difference between tire and tailpipe particle emissions is that most of the former go straight to soil and water, whereas most of the latter is suspended in air for a period, and therefore negatively affects air quality. Emissions Analytics’ results suggest around 11% of the mass of tire emissions is smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter (defining the common metric for fine particle dust, PM2.5, which can be airborne). Therefore, the airborne tire emissions are more likely to be around 8 mg/km—this is still more than 400 times higher than tailpipe emissions.

Considering just tire mass emissions may underestimate the effect on air quality and the consequent human health effects, the company said. The particulate number can be estimated, as shown in the table below. . . . .


There's a whole lot more detail. The obvious question that comes to mind is this. As PEVs especially BEVs are considerably heavier than ICEs, how much of a net improvement if any in (particulate) emissions is there when switching from ICEs to PEVs? They did measurements with an additional vehicle mass of 500kg to see what effect that had. Note, they're not talking about GHGs, just particulates.
 
Guy,
I think this study was debunked by the RAC (formerly the Royal Automobile Club).

Do electric vehicles produce more tyre and brake pollution than their petrol and diesel equivalents?
March 31, 2022, by Euan McTurk

Every so often, it is claimed that electric vehicles (EVs) are somehow dirtier than the petrol and diesel cars that they are replacing. So, in conclusion, electric vehicles already vastly reduce...

Link up on my web site.

Paul
 
paulgipe said:
Guy,
I think this study was debunked by the RAC (formerly the Royal Automobile Club).

Do electric vehicles produce more tyre and brake pollution than their petrol and diesel equivalents?
March 31, 2022, by Euan McTurk

Every so often, it is claimed that electric vehicles (EVs) are somehow dirtier than the petrol and diesel cars that they are replacing. So, in conclusion, electric vehicles already vastly reduce...

Link up on my web site.

Paul


Thanks Paul, the article you refer to is for the original 2020 study which was referred to in the beginning of the article I linked, not the current one which goes into far more detail, differentiating between conditions.
 
Didn't read the article. Didn't pass the sniff test for me. In reality, I can't see this making any sense. Most EVs have LRR tires which means harder rubber, less friction, slower wear. Weight is a factor but driving style is a MUCH greater factor and there is also the significant difference in wear rates per mile on freeway verses surface street driving.

Easy to see how someone could take this in any direction they choose.
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
Didn't read the article. Didn't pass the sniff test for me. In reality, I can't see this making any sense. Most EVs have LRR tires which means harder rubber, less friction, slower wear. Weight is a factor but driving style is a MUCH greater factor and there is also the significant difference in wear rates per mile on freeway verses surface street driving.

Easy to see how someone could take this in any direction they choose.


From the article:
The aggressive legal driving is the result from 2020, which was derived from a Volkswagen Golf driven at legal road speeds on a track, with fast cornering and maximum permitted payload in the vehicle. The normal driving results were averaged across 14 different brands of tire tested on a Mercedes C-Class driven with average dynamics on the road, with just the driver and no payload in the vehicle. All of these tires were tested from new. A smaller number of tires were then tested over their full lifetime in order to estimate the degree to which wear rates declined over time.
 
rmay635703 said:
Sounds like a good reason to only move freight by rail with local delivery by box or semi

That would require two huge changes:

1. No time-sensitive freight - You'll wait for your baby formula, and like it!

2. A huge decrease in total freight volume, or a massive increase in rail capacity, neither of which is likely:

................Tons....Value in Mil. of $
Truck 11,520,318 12,421,511
Rail 1,738,346 690,459
Water 766,322 363,500
Air (including truck-air) 5,871 591,253
Multiple modes and mail 495,680 2,328,112
Pipeline 3,049,857 942,007
Other and unknown 39,210 97,633
No domestic mode 208,676 66,410
Total (All modes) 17,824,281 17,500,885

https://www.bts.gov/topics/freight-transportation/freight-shipments-mode
 
Although this is debunked more such hogwash is making its way through mainstream media. Here's another example...

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1135980_evs-emit-more-brake-dust-which-the-eu-is-stepping-up-to-regulate
 
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