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In New York City, congestion pricing leads to marked drop in pollution

(e360.yale.edu)
472 points Brajeshwar | 3 comments | 10 Dec 25 15:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.481s | source
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lkbm ◴[10 Dec 25 15:34 UTC] No.46218856[source]▶
> Particulates issued from tailpipes can aggravate asthma and heart disease and increase the risk of lung cancer and heart attack. Globally, they are a leading risk factor for premature death.

Minor nitpick, but tailpipes aren't the primary source of emissions. The study is about PM2.5[0]. which will chiefly be tires and brake pads. Modern gasoline engines are relatively clean, outside of CO2, though diesel engines spit out a bunch of bad stuff.

[0] https://www.nature.com/articles/s44407-025-00037-2

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throwawaypath ◴[10 Dec 25 15:39 UTC] No.46218933[source]▶
How do EVs fare in this regard? Brakes are used significantly less, but the additional weight from the batteries chews through tires faster.
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jgeada ◴[10 Dec 25 15:43 UTC] No.46219005[source]▶
Why does everyone immediately pivot to EVs on this subject, instead of (looks around) gargantuan SUVs and trucks everywhere, due to peculiarities of US policies regulating SUVs more leniently than cars on fuel efficiency?
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unreal6[dead post] ◴[10 Dec 25 15:51 UTC] No.46219157[source]▶
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1. acdha ◴[10 Dec 25 15:59 UTC] No.46219288[source]▶
EVs are heavier than equivalent-sized ICE vehicles, but they do enjoy regenerative braking. The answer is to make smaller-sized cars but the auto industry has been pushing the farmer cosplay for decades because the profit margins are a lot higher on a $75k truck or SUV than $30k sedan.
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2. ◴[10 Dec 25 16:21 UTC] No.46219647[source]▶
3. fullstop ◴[10 Dec 25 16:35 UTC] No.46219856[source]▶
It's a tough area, honestly, and will be until public charging is better. You need a bigger battery to get the range that people need (want?) to be able to reach the next charging station. Realistically, though, most people don't really venture far from home but they don't like the idea that they can't venture far from home without finding a place to charge.

EV charging availability has drastically improved over the last few years, so maybe there is hope for smaller EVs.