WASHINGTON, D.C. – Many are lauding the benefits of electric vehicles when it comes to pollution, given the fact that – unlike vehicles powered by internal combustion engines – they produce no tailpipe emissions at all. However, all is not perfect when it comes to EVs and their environmental impact, as tire pollution is a very real problem with these automobiles, with their wheels emitting noxious waste such as shed pieces of rubber and other toxic substances.
Of course, regular gas-powered vehicles produce tire pollution as well, but the problem is more pronounced with EVs since they weigh more than comparatively-sized cars and are capable of accelerating at faster rates of speed, causing their tires to shed more of what is known as “dirty particles” that are said to be terrible for the environment.
However, a London-based company called Tyre Collective is attempting to combat tire pollution with the production of a device dubbed the “Box” that attaches to vehicles, where it attracts and draws in tire particles – which are “charged due to friction from the road” – using electrostatic plates.
Currently, the Box captures approximately 60 percent of tire emissions in laboratory tests, although that number tends to drop to more around 20 percent on live tests on delivery vans traveling the streets of London.
Tyre Collective is obviously looking to increase the rate of particle collection for their Box device, especially as EVs are coming to greater prominence in the consumer market; given the fact that they tend to be bigger, heavier, and have greater torque, EVs on average create 20 percent more tire pollution – in the form of petrochemicals and other substances – than gas-powered cars and trucks.
But while the amount of matter shed from tires – either on gas-powered or electric vehicles – only amounts to somewhere between 70 and 90 milligrams per half-mile or so, given the sheer amount of vehicles on the road, how far they drive, and how long automobiles have been in existence, tire pollution is adding up to a massive problem over time.
In addition to the work of the Tyre Collective, agencies in the U.S. are trying to find safe substitutes for the materials in tires as well, although overall research on tire pollution is still relatively early and developing.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.