Electric vehicle growth
The United States is witnessing a rapid adoption of electric vehicles
(EV’s)—in 2023, annual sales of EV’s surpassed one million for the first
time ever, a 54% increase from 2022. At present, the transportation
sector accounts for about 30% of total U.S. greenhouse emissions,
and the growing adoption of EV’s has the potential to drastically
reduce total emissions.
An unexpected environmental problem
Despite all the benefits EV’s confer on the environment, they actually
increase one environmental challenge: the cars produce more
scrap tires. EV’s have batteries that are heavier than a traditional
combustion engine and are, on the whole, 20% heavier than an
equivalent gas-powered vehicle.
Additionally, electric vehicles can also reach maximum torque
almost instantaneously, which increases the cars acceleration
rates while also increasing the friction, contributing to increased tire
wear and waste.
Heavier vehicles use tires up to 30% faster. At present, the United
States produces approximately 315 million scrap tires per year. With
the adoption of EV’s, we expect that number to increase 12%, to 352
million scrap tires annually by 2030.
