A programme to increase electric vehicle adoption in California increased air pollution in lower-income communities and communities of colour – groups that are less likely to own electric cars.
A rise in the number of electric vehicles in California seems to have increased fine particulate matter air pollution from power plants, even as CO2 and other types of air pollution have decreased. An analysis found disadvantaged communities, which are least likely to own electric vehicles, are most likely to see an increase in pollutants in their neighbourhoods.
Electric vehicle use is increasing in California“[Electric vehicles] are only as clean as the underlying electric grid,” says Jaye Mejía-Duwan at the University of California, Berkeley. By adding to demand for electricity, electric vehicles can increase air pollution from gas and coal power plants. And while electric vehicle engines produce no direct emissions, the cars generate a similar amount of fine particulate matter pollution from brakes, tire wear and kicking up dust as gas-powered vehicles do.
Mejía-Duwan and their colleagues modelled how a California programme to increase electric vehicle adoption has affected air pollution in the state. They used data on electric vehicle rebates issued through the programme between 2010 and 2021 to estimate electric vehicle adoption in different areas. They then modelled how the increased demand for electricity affected power generation and resulting emissions.
The researchers found that CO2 and other types of air pollution decreased substantially across the state, and fine particulate matter pollution, also called PM2.5, decreased in most places. However, their model found overall PM2.5 pollution increased by several tonnes due to large increases in areas near power plants – areas where people of colour and those with lower incomes are more likely to live.
The team used a number of environmental and socioeconomic indicators to identify disadvantaged communities, including income, educational attainment and disease burden. These communities were more than twice as likely to see an increase in PM2.5 pollution as other parts of the state, and decreases in other types of pollution were smaller.
Patrick Kinney at Boston University says the modelling might overstate exposure to pollutants resulting from electric vehicle uptake because it doesn’t include more detail on how pollution is transported through the atmosphere or on traffic patterns. But he says “it really points to the need to start figuring out how to target these incentives to get the EVs to the right places”.
Air pollution will also decrease as more electricity is generated by renewable sources. Charging vehicles during the day when more renewable energy is available can also reduce associated pollution.
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