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Electric Cars Are Not the Answer To Air Pollution, Says Top UK Adviser (theguardian.com)
Cars must be driven out of cities to tackle the UK's air pollution crisis, not just replaced with electric vehicles, according to the UK government's top adviser. From a report: Prof Frank Kelly said that while electric vehicles emit no exhaust fumes, they still produce large amounts of tiny pollution particles from brake and tyre dust, for which the government already accepts there is no safe limit. Toxic air causes 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK, and the environment secretary, Michael Gove, recently announced that the sale of new diesel and petrol cars will be banned from 2040, with only electric vehicles available after that. But faced with rising anger from some motorists, the plan made the use of charges to deter dirty diesel cars from polluted areas a measure of last resort only. Kelly's intervention heightens the government's dilemma between protecting public health and avoiding politically difficult charges or bans on urban motorists. "The government's plan does not go nearly far enough," said Kelly, professor of environmental health at King's College London and chair of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, official expert advisers to the government. "Our cities need fewer cars, not just cleaner cars."
Sure, tire-dust is still there, but braking is done regeneratively in any sane electrical car design and conventional, particle-generating brakes are only there for emergencies.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
At least with EVs, we can figure out what to use for electricity. If there is a new fusion development, it can be used and immediately change the CO2 profile across large areas. Similar if thorium reactors, or even Gen IV reactors become the norm. With IC engines, we have to replace them individually.
The trick is that we can keep improving. There is no single magic bullet, but if we replace a coal base plant with solar + energy storage, it helps things a little bit. Similar with adding wind capacity, instead of having to add a biomass plant.
Assuming 4 or 5 brake pads over 7 years (new brake pad every 20k to 40k miles) causes serious pollution? I really doubt it... but if true just get a device to capture brake pad dust and dispose it. No need to eliminate cars.
"can" and "does" are two different things.
Take the example of the Nissan Leaf. It can recover approximately 80% of the energy under regenerative braking, but, it has a hard limit of 30kW of regenerative braking. If you brake sufficiently hard that it puts out more than 30kW, then the car is going to use the conventional brakes as well as regeneration.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!