Current policy assumptions propose that phasing out gasoline and diesel engines will significantly reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions from vehicles.
Current policy assumptions propose that phasing out gasoline and diesel engines will significantly reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions from vehicles. However, recent data from a new mobile air quality monitoring station suggest these estimates are largely underestimating emissions from alcohol-based species. This discrepancy is due to overlooked emissions from ancillary solvent products like screenwash and deicer, which are not accounted for in standard vehicle emissions methodologies. Interestingly, these overlooked emissions, applicable to all vehicles including electric ones, exceed total VOCs emitted from vehicle exhausts and fuel evaporation. Contrary to expectations, with the predicted increase in total distance driven by an expanding electric vehicle fleet, VOC emissions might actually rise, leading to a complete change in the composition of VOC emissions.
Read more at: American Chemical Society
Image Credit: Santeri Viinamäki via Wikimedia Commons
