There's been an unexpected side effect of having more and more EVs on the road which new study has found
Published on Mar 23, 2026 at 4:16 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Mar 23, 2026 at 4:16 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
There are more EVs on the road now than ever before, and this means we’re now seeing side benefits of electric cars we never even considered.
A study conducted by EIT Urban Mobility looked at electric vehicles in several major cities across Europe – including London and Milan – and the result was interesting.
Several advantages were discovered, and they go well beyond the obvious fact that there are no direct emissions from the exhaust system.
But, as always, there is a catch – let’s dig in.
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Let’s start with the bad news
Going electric means you’re no longer emitting anything from the exhaust, which is great – but it turns out that’s just one of many ways cars pollute.
That’s why the study conducted by EIT Urban Mobility also took into account other forms of non-exhaust pollution.
And there’s some bad news on that front.
With regard to tire wear, EVs do worse than gas cars, mainly because electric cars are much heavier, and they’re also faster.
Electric cars – even small and simple city runabouts – accelerate a lot faster than an equivalent gas car because of instant torque.
And that’s bad for the tires, and therefore bad for tire pollution and the millions of tonnes of microplastics they shed into the environment.
This is the main unexpected side benefit with EVs
In addition to cutting down on CO2 emissions and noise pollution, the analysis found that brake dust pollution had been cut by 83 percent.
This is because electric vehicles use regenerative braking, which means you can slow down without touching the brakes.
Every time you lift your foot off the throttle, the car automatically slows down.
Most electric cars also allow you to regulate the intensity of regenerative braking.
In ‘Eco’, which is what Tesla calls it, your car will automatically brake when you lift your foot from the throttle in a way that some people would probably describe as ‘abrupt’.
In theory, if you’re strategic about it, you could drive for miles without ever touching the brake pedal.
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After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
