Electric Cars Are Cleaning Up The Air In California, New Study Validates

A new study has just proven that California’s air has improved thanks to the adoption of electric cars.
 
By now, most people would be alerted to the idea that EVs could significantly reduce emissions sent into our atmosphere. A study from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California has just put some real numbers to this claim.
 
The analysis considers electric cars being used in the state and emergency room visits across California between 2013 and 2019, which was controlled against overall improvements in air quality.
 
Gas-powered vehicles have been linked to smog production in the state and increased adverse health effects. In general, four million new cases of childhood asthma per year can be traced back to traffic worldwide. And just within the US, 1000,000 to 200,000 deaths are caused by vehicle pollution.
 
The team found that each increase of 20 cars per 1,000 people is roughly around 2% of automobiles, as the state has 840 vehicles per 1,000 people. The results showed a 0.41ppb (parts per billion) drop in nitrogen dioxide (NOx). For reference, California’s law sets an average NOx at 30 ppb. And with only 2% already reducing the amount by 0.41ppb, that’s a significant decrease when the whole state is considered.
 
The study also cross-referenced certain areas with a higher concentration of EVs to see if fewer people were suffering from asthma and found a 3.2% decline in asthma-related emergency room visits in areas with 20 electric cars per 1,000 people.
 
EV adoption has been steady in California, with 8% of people opting for cleaner means of transport by the end of the analysis in 2019. According to Electrek, that number is now 18%. However, since the survey only culled a short period of time, the effects of climate change over a long term could prove greater results.
 
The only caveat this examination highlights is that the regions with higher EV concentration tend to be wealthier, while poorer areas have fewer vehicles, due to electric cars being more expensive in general.
 
And as this study has now proven that life, health, and the environment all benefit from using such vehicles, the next issue to resolve is making them accessible to people from all walks of life.
 
 
 
[via Electrek and ScienceDaily, Photo 3418136 © Iofoto | Dreamstime.com]