EVs linked to real-world reduction in pollution, new study

The findings are said to help policymakers take important decisions regarding the future of transportation.

Research conducted by the Keck School of Medicine of USC has found a link between the increase in the use of zero-emission vehicles to improved air quality & public health in California. This is said to be one of the first studies which use real-world data to show EVs bring down pollution and respiratory problems.

The new study is said to have analyzed data from a number of ZEVs (zero emission vehicles), ambient NO2 pollution, asthma emergency department visits and population characteristics across 1,238 zip codes in California between 2013 to 2019.

As per reports, between 2013 - 2019, ZEVs increased from 1.4 to 14.6 per 1000 people, on average, across zip codes in the state. The results showed that within a zip code, an increase of 20 EVs per 1000 people reduced NO2 levels by 0.41 parts per billion and reduced asthma-related emergencies by 3.2%, indicating a positive outcome for both environment & public health.

However, the study also highlighted the EV adoption gap between neighbourhoods with varying educational attainment. Research showed a zip code where only 17% of the population had a bachelor's degree had an annual increase of just 0.70 ZEVs per 1000 people, compared to a zip code where 47% of the population had a bachelor's degree having a higher ZEV adoption rate of 3.6 per 1000 people. This difference further causes disparities in pollution and public health among neighbourhoods.

The findings are said to help policymakers take important decisions regarding the future of transportation. The results of the research provide crucial evidence while creating policies.

Source: CleanTechnica