If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study.
If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study.
The new study, which simulates air quality at a neighborhood scale, also found that areas with predominantly Black, Hispanic and Latinx residents would benefit most.
The study underscores the potential of electric vehicles (EVs) to improve air quality and mitigate human-caused climate change, while also reducing unjust exposure and health burdens — despite EVs sourcing electricity from a grid that continues to include fossil fuel-fired power generation.
The paper was published today (Sept. 13) in the journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability.
“A common misconception regarding EVs is that areas near powerplants — which are often minority communities — disproportionately suffer the burden of poor air quality due to increased electricity demand and powerplant emissions output,” said Northwestern’s Maxime Visa, the study’s lead author. “Our study found that on-road emission decreases more than offset powerplant emission increases.
Read more at Northwestern University
Photo by Daniel Andraski: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-black-electric-vehicle-charging-on-a-charging-station-11554746/
