Can Electric Vehicles Reduce Air Pollution Inequalities in Metro Atlanta? A High-Resolution Analysis

Résumé fourni par la source

High-resolution (1 km) photochemical air quality modeling using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model is conducted to assess the potential of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in reducing air pollution exposure inequalities in the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) around Atlanta. A 30% EV adoption scenario is simulated to evaluate changes in summertime PM2.5, NOx, and O3 concentrations. EV adoption leads to average reductions of 0.25 ppb in NOx, 0.40 ppb in O3, and 0.06 µg/m3 in PM2.5, with localized increases in NOx and PM2.5 near power plants and in ozone near major roadways. These changes correspond to an estimated reduction in premature deaths by 14, 95, and 14 for PM2.5, NOx, and O3, respectively, within the MSA. The largest health benefits are observed in communities with higher proportions of minority residents, underscoring the potential for EV adoption to alleviate health burdens in vulnerable populations. However, coarse-resolution (12 km) simulations tend to show lower benefits because they cannot capture localized increases in NOx and PM2.5, highlighting the importance of high-resolution simulations.

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