Electric versus Internal Combustion: What are the Actual Emissions and Health Impacts?

While electric vehicles (EVs) are known to produce zero tailpipe emissions, their air quality impacts are mostly modeled and not measured. As many jurisdictions are transitioning school buses and other fleets, measuring the impact of transitioning from diesel buses to electric buses can help quantify improvements and plan for a healthy future. This project improves upon current comparisons between vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) and EVs, with a focus on school buses. The research will move beyond modeled estimates through emissions testing and exposure measurement. The project will include emissions testing in various conditions in a controlled testing facility to produce ground truth data for both ICE vehicles and EVs. The contained, controlled facility allows for testing of ambient as well as in-cab air quality measurements during bus operations. The measured results will be used to perform comparative analyses of the entire life cycle of EVs and ICE vehicles, taking into account battery mining, production, and disposal among other elements of vehicles’ life-cycle analysis. Results could be incorporated into air quality planning at the regional level, as well as to support local air quality improvement and fleet transition efforts.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $200000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348329

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute
  College Station, TX  United States  77843
• Project Managers:

  Ocon, Monica

• Performing Organizations:

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Principal Investigators:

  Zietsman, Josias

  Ramani, Tara

• Start Date: 20231101
• Expected Completion Date: 20241031
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
• Source Data: 01-01-TTI

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air quality; Alternatives analysis; Electric vehicles; Internal combustion engines; Life cycle analysis; Pollutants; School buses
• Subject Areas: Environment; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01907177
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348329
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 6 2024 8:18PM