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Unfortunately, I've got some really bad news for you... There's nothing unique to ICE cars that makes particulate bad. The worst part of cars for particulate is

by xracy 4y ago

Unfortunately, I've got some really bad news for you... There's nothing unique to ICE cars that makes particulate bad. The worst part of cars for particulate is their weight, and EVs are heavier than ICEs. So in some ways, they are actually worse because of the way they wear down tires. You want to get rid of particulate, gotta go fewer cars altogether. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389421015910 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438942...

onecommentman 4y ago
Or change the formulation of the wear elements of tires. Tire manufacturers complain that tires aren’t viewed as items that most drivers are willing to invest in, much past the minimum. They’d be delighted to make premium tires that reduce the airborne particulates, although that would probably worsen the perceived comfort and actual safety of the vehicle. But maybe an 80-20 would get most of the environmental benefit with minimum impact to the driver and their safety. It’s a mature technology, but also a new challenge. Or road sweepers that wash the road and collect the tire dust, not just the trash.
- xracy 4y ago
  I mean, the problem is that the nature of tires is to have maximum traction so you can take advantage of rolling friction. Which means that you'd have to find some magic material that could really take a beating. Also, road sweepers don't solve the problem. When you drive by someone, you are creating these particulates for them to breath. Machines with moving parts don't last forever. This is more true under more load. Also, if you wanted to change the number of pollutants, you'd really need everyone to get these new magic tires, so it would have to be a cheaper product, and specifically not a premium product. It's also worth noting, that the person at risk for all of this is not the driver. The person at risk for all of this is anyone else. You're not kicking up particulates for yourself, you're kicking up particulates for everyone around you.

by xracy 4y ago

onecommentman 4y ago

Or change the formulation of the wear elements of tires. Tire manufacturers complain that tires aren’t viewed as items that most drivers are willing to invest in, much past the minimum. They’d be delighted to make premium tires that reduce the airborne particulates, although that would probably worsen the perceived comfort and actual safety of the vehicle. But maybe an 80-20 would get most of the environmental benefit with minimum impact to the driver and their safety. It’s a mature technology, but also a new challenge. Or road sweepers that wash the road and collect the tire dust, not just the trash.

xracy 4y ago
I mean, the problem is that the nature of tires is to have maximum traction so you can take advantage of rolling friction. Which means that you'd have to find some magic material that could really take a beating. Also, road sweepers don't solve the problem. When you drive by someone, you are creating these particulates for them to breath. Machines with moving parts don't last forever. This is more true under more load. Also, if you wanted to change the number of pollutants, you'd really need everyone to get these new magic tires, so it would have to be a cheaper product, and specifically not a premium product. It's also worth noting, that the person at risk for all of this is not the driver. The person at risk for all of this is anyone else. You're not kicking up particulates for yourself, you're kicking up particulates for everyone around you.