Atmosphere: "Study on non-exhaust emissions in road dust," Brake dust is radically different from tire wear. Greater penetration of EVs is changing urban air quality in a second beneficial way which has nothing to do with eliminating tailpipe emissions. "A new analysis in London, Milan, and Barcelona shows battery electric cars cut brake dust by about 83% thanks to regenerative braking." However, the tradeoff is electric cars also tend to be heavier, so they can increase tiny particles from tire wear even as brake dust plummets. "Benedetto Giechaskiel, PhD, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRCs ), has led peer-reviewed work into how pads, discs, filters, and regenerative braking shape these non-exhaust particles." EV drivetrains convert velocity or kinetic energy largely back into battery charging, so the friction brakes work less, slashing the dust [as seen in the photo] that otherwise becomes airborne near crosswalks and bus stops. And brake dust tends to produce more airborne fine particles at the curb, which is what drivers, passenger, cyclists + pedestrians inhale. Notably, "only a small fraction of tire wear becomes airborne PM10, with one comprehensive review estimating about 1%." And most tire fragments settle on roadsides, wash into drains or are cleaned up by street sweeping vehicles. "Particulate matter is not one thing but a mix of sizes and chemistries, and the smallest particles, PM2.5, are the fractionmost closely tied to asthma attacks, heart strain, and early death." Brake dust also carries metals like copper + iron, while tires shed rubbery microplastics + sulfur compounds." While there is currently a tradeoff, the weight of batteries + motors is trending downwards, so this problem may disappear. Clearly, brake dust is dangerous + an 83% reduction is music to my ears.
