What are we talking regarding ? Particles produced by the tires during abrasion in contact with the road surface, by the brake discs and calipers, as well as by the suspension. They now represent more than half of the particles produced by road traffic.
“The size of the particles emitted outside the exhaust ranges from a few nanometers (ultrafine) to a few micrometers (fine). These particles contain various metallic elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Al, Ba, etc.) and sulfur in addition to the very largely predominant carbon” . These elements can cause adverse health effects, according to the report.
ADEME notes all the same that the regenerative braking of electric cars – which makes it possible to decelerate the car by returning energy to the battery without requiring action on the physical brakes – makes it possible to drastically reduce particle emissions due to braking. : 3% in the case of an electric car, once morest 25% of the total emissions of a thermal vehicle.
Canceled Benefits
On the other hand, the Agency found that “The mass of electric vehicles being greater than that of thermal vehicles, this impacts the width of the tires and therefore increases the emissions of tires / road particles (which represent 61% of PHE PM10 for an electric vehicle, once morest 47% for a thermal vehicle) and those resuspended (respectively 36 and 28% of PHE PM10)”.
She continues: “AThus, these different components compensate each other in absolute value, and recent studies therefore do not show any significant difference in total particle emissions between long-range electric vehicles and new current internal combustion vehicles which emit almost no more particles. exhaust”.
Secondary particles
However, ADEME still specifies that thermal vehicles emit “nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds which can contribute, depending on atmospheric conditions, to the formation of secondary particles, which is not the case with electric vehicles”.
The electric car would therefore retain this meager advantage, in terms of particle emissions in any case.
