Tire wear pollution is 1,850 times worse than exhaust, especially for heavy EVs

By Isaac Lamoureux

Tire wear emissions emit 1,850 times more pollution into the environment than exhaust pollutants, according to new research. This is particularly concerning for electric vehicles, as tire wear emissions increase for heavier vehicles, and EVs weigh more than their gas counterparts due to their batteries.

Emissions Analytics initially published research in 2020 claiming that tire particulate wear emissions were 1,000 times worse than exhaust emissions. Generating more feedback than any subject ever tackled by the organization, it decided to do a deeper dive.

Researchers began testing and analyzing tire wear emissions in more detail across a wider range of driving conditions and performed a detailed chemical analysis of hundreds of new tires.

After performing extensive research, Emissions Analytics determined that tire wear emissions are 1,850 times greater than real-world tailpipe particulate mass emissions.