“Each city requires unique regulations or strategies”

A new study from the University of Houston examined the potential health benefits of vehicle electrification scenarios in four major U.S. cities — Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago — by analyzing projected changes in air pollution.

In short, this is good news, but also complicated.

The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, found that faster electrification growth would be almost unambiguously good news for three of the four cities: Houston, New York and Chicago.

In a full electrification scenario, Houston could prevent 157 premature deaths per month. Meanwhile, New York and Chicago could prevent 796 and 328 premature deaths per month, respectively, according to an analysis published by Phys.org.

These cities could also see economic benefits related to health outcomes, with the study projecting savings of $51 million to $249 million per day.

“Our findings indicate that vehicle electrification overall contributes to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved air quality, and reduced mortality rates associated with exposure to toxic air pollutants,” said Ali Mousavinezhad, one of the researchers, according to Phys.org.

In Los Angeles, however, the situation was more complicated. There, partial electrification could save more than a thousand lives a year, but full electrification could actually increase mortality rates. Phys.org explained that this is due to the area’s weather, atmospheric chemistry, and geography. The surrounding mountains often create trapped pockets of air, increasing the density of some air pollutants.

“This highlights the need to introduce regional environmental regulations,” Mousavinezhad stressed.

Fellow researcher Yunsoo Choi agreed, telling Phys.org: “Each city requires unique regulations or strategies, including different EV deployment scenarios, to effectively reduce the concentration of these pollutants and greenhouse gases.”

And with electric cars gaining popularity year over year — according to MarketWatch, U.S. EV sales are expected to jump more than 60% between 2022 and 2023 — understanding how these trends will impact people’s health will be crucial.

“The results of this study will help policymakers tailor policies to the specific characteristics of different regions to improve quality of life,” Ali concluded in the Phys.org report.

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