←back to thread

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

(e360.yale.edu)
472 points Brajeshwar | 2 comments | 10 Dec 25 15:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.389s | source
Show context
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

replies(15): >>46218921 #>>46218933 #>>46219022 #>>46219122 #>>46219147 #>>46219190 #>>46219382 #>>46219549 #>>46219741 #>>46219841 #>>46219865 #>>46220664 #>>46220784 #>>46220991 #>>46222644 #
bryanlarsen ◴[10 Dec 25 16:36 UTC] No.46219865[source]▶
It's true that brake dust is the primary PM2.5 emission from vehicles in an urban environment. However the PM2.5 component from tail pipes are still very significant, higher than the contribution from tires.

The order is:

1. brake dust 2. road dust 3. engine emissions 4. tire dust

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00456...

https://electrek.co/2025/05/27/another-way-electric-cars-cle...

replies(1): >>46220172 #
somewhereoutth ◴[10 Dec 25 16:58 UTC] No.46220172[source]▶
and would it be true to say that regenerative braking on electric cars reduces significantly this dust?
replies(4): >>46220338 #>>46220366 #>>46221956 #>>46223951 #
1. earlyreturns ◴[10 Dec 25 21:14 UTC] No.46223951[source]▶
I’m guessing not as much as standard transmissions, which largely eliminate the need for breaking while also reducing fuel usage. Yet there are almost no new cars with standard transmission. If only people cared a bit more.
replies(1): >>46224113 #
2. bryanlarsen ◴[10 Dec 25 21:27 UTC] No.46224113[source]▶
You guessed wrong.

An electric car can use its engines to bring a vehicle to a complete stop. It can also use the motor to hold the car in place, even on a fairly steep incline. You can't do either with a standard transmission ICE vehicle.

There are people with electric cars that have their brakes rust out because they're never used. A standard piece of advice to EV owners is "make sure to use your brakes at least once a month".