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UK-based Emissions Analytics, an independent testing organization that measures real-world vehicle emissions, has determined that tire wear causes more pollution than exhaust from the tailpipe.
Photo by Jiafeng Wang on Unsplash
Watchdog orgs and government regulations keep car companies on their toes for the devil we know, tailpipe emissions. Manufacturers play ball and internal combustion engines seem to get more efficient each year. But "vehicle tyre wear pollution is completely unregulated," EA writes. Yet "harmful particle matter from tyres – and also brakes – is a very serious and growing environmental problem."
How serious of a problem? Here's what their testing revealed about non-exhaust emissions (NEEs):
"Using a popular family hatchback running on brand new, correctly inflated tyres, we found that the car emitted 5.8 grams per kilometer of particles.
"Compared with regulated exhaust emission limits of 4.5 milligrams per kilometer, the completely unregulated tyre wear emission is higher by a factor of over 1,000."
Photo by Tim Meyer on Unsplash
They reckon those figures are even worse in real-world driving (i.e. bigger vehicles with bigger tires, and/or underinflated tires and shoddy roads causing tires and brakes to shed more particulate matter). And it's gotta be galling, to anyone who's ponied up for an electric car, to learn that they're still causing tons of pollution.
Automobile and tire manufacturers are unlikely to address this on their own. Until a powerful politician, government or watchdog org takes NEEs up as an issue, we'll have to continue breathing in brakepad dust and tire particles.
via The Drive
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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New Study Shows "Pollution from Tire Wear 1,000 Times Worse than Exhaust Emissions"
If a typical set of cheap tires lasts 50,000 km (30,000 miles) then according to this study they would emit 290 kg (640 lb) of pollution over the life of the tire. Google says a light car tire weighs 20 lb (9 kg). There's a conservation of mass issue going on here.
Could it include bits of the road? Maybe, but I don't think that's what they're saying.
Yeah I didn't understand this part as well.. What exactly do they mean by 5.8 grams of particles? Are you sure they didn't mean 5.8 milligrams?
I think this part explains why this is a severely non-representative experiment:
Something doesn't add up. If tires last around 50,000km and they are emitting 5.8g/km in particulates. That would be 290kg thats over 600lbs of particulates. Huh? I must be missing something.
Based on this image, they seem to imply that road dust is part of the factor.