Net-Zero Emissions Yields Toxic Byproducts

The effort to mandate an all-electric vehicle (EV) fleet is founded on the idea that eliminating tailpipe emissions of CO2 will be beneficial to the environment. The fact that most of the electricity needed to charge EVs is generated by burning fossil fuels has been largely ignored. A lesser known toxic consequence is the increased wear-and-tear on vehicle tires due to the heavier weight of EVs.

Nearly 2,000 times more particle pollution is produced by tire wear than tailpipe emissions. According to the Goodyear tire manufacturer, EVs run through tires 50% faster than gasoline-powered cars. Tires contain some highly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals such as naphthalene, toluene, and isoprene, as well as heavy metals like zinc and lead.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg asserted that "a relatively easy fix for avoiding these toxins would be for drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and people living or working near roadways to conscientiously don gas masks whenever they go out, or better still, to avoid any unnecessary outdoor excursions."

Further bad news regarding EVs came from Michigan's Ann Arbor Public School District. Apparently, the Biden Administration's billion dollar program to buy electric school buses has run into performance problems. The District's environmental sustainability director, Emile Lauzzana, complained that "though they are five times more expensive than regular buses the EVs have a lot of downtime, performance issues and are frequently out-of-service."

Buttigieg dismissed Lauzzana's complaint, saying "this is either an education matter that he should take up with Secretary Cardona or an energy issue that he should address to Secretary Granholm. My job is to preside over the total transportation system. This doesn't leave me any time for dealing with an idiosyncratic problem confined to a tiny sector of the whole."

SEMI-NEWS/SEMI-SATIRE by John Semmens