A lot of the emissions hail from a source not well known: tire wear.

Electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts, according to a resurfaced study.

The study, published by emissions data firm Emission Analytics, was released in 2022 but has attracted a wave of attention this week after being cited in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Sunday.

It found that brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes, which have “efficient” exhaust filters, bringing gas-powered vehicles’ emissions to new lows.

Tire wear is the source of most vehicle pollution. But, as it turns out, the internal combustion engine is very efficient and, on the whole, is clean. According to the study, the increased weight of electric vehicle engines causes more wear on the automobile’s tires and even its breaks creating much more emissions (including increased waste) than gas-powered vehicles.

California’s Air Resource Board speculates that down the line, the New York Post says, electric vehicle batteries might be manufactured to be lighter resulting in manufacturers using lighter materials for their automobile production. The problem is that could very likely mean compromises with safety features (like in motor vehicle accidents) putting drivers at risk as well. In the end, CARB bureaucrats can only speculate.

Overall, when compiling emissions data, EVs are much worse for the environment than brand new internal combustion engine vehicles. The amount of energy electric vehicles create even using mined cobalt and lithium often exceeds the environmental impact that internal combustion vehicles create resulting from the demand for the aforementioned rare earth metals.

Another example is an EV battery factory in Kansas. Last year, a coal-fired power plant (the ones environmentalists love to hate) will be expanded and allowed to continue to operate due to the factory’s energy needs that even renewable energy sources cannot provide. The entire electric vehicle scheme is nothing more than a feel-good project for wealthy people to virtue signal thinking they’re doing something for the planet while ignoring what is done to make their green dream come true.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay