cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/56777651

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[+] -10 points 10 months ago (17 children)

Wondering if the air will actually be better for humans though. There's a lot more particles being ripped from the roads with these heavier EVs, and road particles are quite toxic as far as I understand, so not great. But yeah, great to have clear skies.

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  • [–] 21 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    I'd imagine the amount of road particles ripped up is less than the amount of CO2, NOx, ozone and other pollutants and fine particles emitted by combustion engines, but I'm no expert. Only time will tell, but at least short-term the results seem positive.

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  • [+] -8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    Less maybe, but probably more toxic than carbon dioxide, which isn't really dangerous per se.

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  • [–] 17 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    There's more than just CO2 coming from combustion engines though, like nitrogen and sulfur containing compounds, which can in turn cause secondary pollution. Cumulatively, I think those pollutants have a bigger effect on human health than the road particles. Also, these road particles still get ripped up by regular cars, even if it's to a lesser extent. So overall I'm still convinced that EVs are a step in the right direction. We can't know for sure until more studies are performed.

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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago* (2 children)

    The road particles are heavier, they aren't really leaving traveling too far in the air. They're mostly a problem when it rains and are a threat to water quality.

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  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (3 children)

    Most EVs by number in Chinese cities are electric motorbikes and tricicles, much much lighter than an electric car

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  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (2 children)

    Are electric motorbikes and tricycles heavier than their gasoline-powered equivalents?

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    Likely, but damage to roads increases with the square power of vehicle weight per wheel, meaning that just by virtue of being half the weight per wheel than cars their impact on road degradation is negligible.

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  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (1 child)

    MGS5 EV -> 1650 Kg

    MG ZS gasoline -> 1250

    Not that different. And you have to add another 50 - 80 L of gasoline¹ to make it even.

    ¹ the size of the tank is not shown in the specs.

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  • [–] -1 points 10 months ago*

    ⅓ increase or so. Pretty big difference IMO.

    My compact SUV Volvo EX40 has a 2,100+ kg curb weight.

    Imagine this though: all the cars in the world switch from gas to electric, and on average add 30% of weight to every vehicle (which does seem like the normal increase). Wouldn't that equate to adding, like, "X number of 18-wheelers" to the roads, wear and tear wise? Or does it not work like that?

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