this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2023
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Both are technically true.
EV's are worse on average because they are about 30% heavier than their ICE equivalents, so they'll go through tires faster.
But because of that, they'll also wear down road surfaces faster, requiring more construction thet emits, and requiring more use of concrete.
The weight of an EV depends on various factors, such as the size of the battery pack and the overall design of the vehicle. Some EVs may be heavier due to larger battery packs, while others may be lighter or comparable in weight to ICE vehicles. it is not accurate to generalize that EVs are heavier on average and therefore cause 30% more tyre dust (wtf did you pull this number from).
Extremely heavy vehicles, such as commercial trucks and buses, cause the majority of wear and tear on roads. Damage caused by the shift to EVs is likely to be marginal, especially when compared to the damage caused by these large vehicles.
Cars had a weight problem long before electric vehicles with their heavy batteries hit the road. The real issue with tyre dust is the overall trend of heavier vehicles, not just the introduction of EVs.
Larger electric vehicles, those weighing over two tons, are responsible for far more wear on road surfaces and emissions of tyre dust. However, this is not solely due to EVs, but rather the general trend of larger and heavier vehicles. the trend of SUVs is far worse and these cars on average are heavier than an EV sedan, which the absolute majority of evs are.
Totally agree that vehicles should be smaller in general.
Nobody needs a pickup outside of industry and agriculture. I don't give a shit about your once-a-year camping trip where you drag your second-mortgaged house-on-wheels to cosplay rugged living. Get a fucking a tent.
Nobody needs an SUV and the only reason they're "safer" because everything is so oversized now that it's just a matter of relativity to other vehicles.
Anything larger than a station wagon is simply excessive for 99% of drivers.