EV Fast Chargers Are Pollution Danger Zones
EV fast-charging stations can be pollution hot spots. The air around them contains approximately 2x as much fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) as average urban areas, according to new data from UCLA. The type of pollution, which is harmful to the respiratory system, comes from fans in the chargers’ power cases, creating traffic dust, which includes brake and tire particles, triggered from other EVs in the charging area. Fortunately, this pollution is confined to a small area near the chargers. It falls off sharply and drops significantly several yards away.
UCLA environmental health professor Yifang Zhu, the study’s senior author, suggested ways to mitigate the problem. This includes placing air filters in the power cabinets.
The study tested 50 fast chargers in Los Angeles. The researchers found “PM 2.5 levels averaging 15 micrograms per cubic meter near chargers, compared to 7-8 in urban areas, 10-11 near busy traffic sites, and 12 at gas stations. Levels occasionally spiked as high as 200 near the chargers’ power cabinets but returned to normal a few hundred meters away.”
A Few Means Of Protection
Zhu emphasizes that EVs remain cleaner than gas-powered vehicles even with this pollution factored in, significantly improving overall air quality. He added EV drivers can lower exposure to this localized pollution by remaining inside their cars with their air filters. Alternatively, they could move to nearby indoor or open space while charging. Zhu and her team are continuing research, comparing air quality at 24 additional sites, which include gas stations and fast chargers.Â
This is a minor hurdle in an industry still plagued by consumer anxiety about EV charging range and the availability of chargers.
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