"Zero emissions" of electric vehicles is a fake: tires turned out to be more harmful than exhaust gases

Such shocking data comes from another study by independent emissions testing company Emissions Analytics. The fact is that in the process of tire wear, toxic substances are formed much more than when fuel is burned. And therefore, the environmental friendliness of electric vehicles that use the same tires as traditional cars is nothing more than a myth.

Already the first study of its kind, the results of which Emissions Analytics published in 2020, proved that the particulate matter that tires leave on the road while driving causes 1000 times more damage than exhaust gases, regardless of the degree of driving aggressiveness. Then it became clear that the slogan "zero emissions", with which electric vehicles are advertised, does not correspond to the real state of affairs. In the future, Emissions Analytics specialists tested and analyzed emissions from tire wear in more detail, including their dependence on the chemical composition of rubber. On average, they found that the damage caused to nature by tires is about 1850 times greater than by exhaust gases.

To measure massive tire wear, Emissions Analytics uses a high-precision scale to weigh all four wheels - tires and rims - together for at least 1,000 kilometers on real roads. This is combined with a sampling system that collects particles at a fixed point directly behind each tire. Typically, this measures particles ranging in size from 10 microns to 6 nanometers. The results were averaged over 14 different tire brands tested on a Mercedes C-Class with average on-road performance, single driver, and no payload in the vehicle. All of these tires have been tested from scratch. The tires were then tested and tested throughout their lifetime to assess the degree of wear reduction over time.

An important difference between particulate emissions from tires and exhaust pipes, according to the company's analysts, is that most of the former enters directly into the soil and water, while most of the latter is suspended in the air for some time and, therefore, negatively affects air quality.

In addition, experts have determined that each tire contains hundreds of different compounds, some of which are recognized carcinogens. True, tires differ significantly among themselves depending on the manufacturing technology, not only in terms of wear, but also in chemical composition and toxicity. And this fact can be used to reduce their wear and toxicity through economic incentives and regulation.

Emissions Analytics has already begun publishing data on the chemical composition and toxicity of hundreds of different tires to bring transparency and understanding to an area that has historically been understudied but is now in the spotlight.