A cursory look reveals this to be fake news:
It found that EVs are 30 percent heavier on average than gas-powered vehicles, which causes the brakes and tire treads to wear out faster than standard cars and releases tiny, often toxic particles into the atmosphere.
Hesham Rakha, a professor at Virginia Tech told Dailymail.com that the study is only ‘partially correct’ because even though EVs are heavier, their tires will emit more microplastics into the air, but this could also be true for sedans versus SUVs.
Electric cars release MORE toxic emissions than gas-powered vehicles and are worse for the environment, resurfaced study warns (msn.com)
Even the “expert” quotes in this fake news article points out these claims are bogus.
VEHICLE WEIGHT
In the U.S., 78% of new vehicles sold are either pickup trucks or SUVs, which weigh more than almost all EVs sold, which are, at this point, mostly smaller sedans.
Pickup truck weight is rated by “class”, with different classes of pickups ranging from 4000 to 4,700 pounds, 5000 to 5500 pounds, 6300 to 7000 pounds, and heavier duty trucks weighing 8000 to 9000 pounds.
A Chevy Bolt EV or EUV weighs 3,563 to 3715 pounds. A Tesla Model 3 ranges from 3,582 to 4065 pounds. These weights are less than the typical SUV/pickups that make up 78% of “light vehicles” sold in the U.S.
If EVs replace common SUVs, the ensuing weight for EVs is less than that of pickups and SUVs.
EVS and BRAKES
I have an EV. I almost never use “brakes” – but use regenerative braking where the momentum turns the wheels, which turn the motors, operating them as generators to charge the battery. I uses the “brakes” maybe once per week? May be? And then only briefly.
FAKE NEWS
The study cited above and promoted by the tabloids is fake news based on advocacy junk science.
