Assessing the health impacts of electric vehicles through air pollution in the United States

Ernani F Choma; John S Evans; James K Hammitt; José A Gómez-Ibáñez; John D Spengler

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.106015

Assessing the health impacts of electric vehicles through air pollution in the United States

Environ Int. 2020 Nov:144:106015. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106015. Epub 2020 Aug 25.

Authors

Ernani F Choma¹, John S Evans², James K Hammitt³, José A Gómez-Ibáñez⁴, John D Spengler²

Affiliations

¹ Population Health Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States. Electronic address: echoma@g.harvard.edu.
² Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States.
³ Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States; Toulouse School of Economics, Université Toulouse Capitole, France.
⁴ Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States.

PMID: 32858467
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106015

Abstract

The environmental consequences of electric vehicles (EV) have been extensively studied, but the literature on their health impacts is scant. At the same time, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), for which transportation is a major source, remains an important public health issue in the United States. Motivated by recent developments in epidemiology and reduced-form air pollution modeling, as well as reductions in power plant emissions, we conduct an updated assessment of health benefits of light-duty vehicle electrification in large metropolitan areas (MSAs) in the United States. We first calculate MSA-specific mortality impacts per mile attributable to fine particles from internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) tailpipe emissions of PM_2.5, SO₂, NO_x, NH₃, and volatile organic compounds, and power plant emissions of PM_2.5, SO₂, and NO_x. We complement these with changes in greenhouse-gas emissions associated with vehicle electrification. We find that electrification leads to large benefits, even with EVs powered exclusively by fossil fuel plants. VMT-weighted mean benefits in the 53 MSAs are 6.9 ¢/mile ($10,400 per 150,000 miles), 83% of which (5.7 ¢/mile or $8600 per 150,000 miles) comes from reductions in PM_2.5-attributable mortality. Variability among the MSAs is large, with benefits ranging from 3.4 ¢/mile ($5100 per 150,000 miles) in Rochester, NY, to 11.5 ¢/mile ($17,200 per 150,000 miles) in New York, NY. This large variability suggests incentives should vary by MSA and presents an opportunity to target areas for EV deployment aimed at maximizing public health benefits. Impacts are smaller when EVs disproportionately replace newer ICEV models but EVs still lead to positive benefits in all MSAs. Vehicle electrification in urban areas is an opportunity to achieve large public health benefits in the United States in the short term.

Keywords: Electric vehicles; Environmental health; Greenhouse gases; Health impacts; Intake fraction; Particulate matter.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
New York
Particulate Matter / analysis
United States
Vehicle Emissions / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Vehicle Emissions