This isn’t a chink in armor, but rather a tornado to the house of cards that is the E.V. agenda.

Two years ago, an emissions data firm known as Emissions Analytics, published a study that revealed E.V.s emitted more pollution than gas-powered cars, and the type of pollution they emitted is the most common vehicle-related environmental contamination. The study flew relatively under the radar until a few days ago, when an editorial in The Wall Street Journal recalled public attention to it.

Here are some blurbs from an abridged version, via the New York Post:

[The study] found that brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes, which have ‘efficient’ exhaust filters, bringing gas-powered vehicles’ emissions to new lows.

Today, most vehicle-related pollution comes from tire wear. 

As heavy cars drive on light-duty tires — most often made with synthetic rubber made from crude oil and other fillers and additives — they deteriorate and release harmful chemicals into the air, according to Emission Analytics.

A particle-pollution rate almost 2,000 times worse than traditional cars? Of course that’s not even factoring in the environmental impact of mining the materials, the manufacturing process, and the disposal of these things. Oh, and that’s not the only disparate impact—the slave labor used to mine the mineral is medieval and rife with child abuse (Congo and its cobalt mining practices come to mind).

And, as if this weren’t condemnatory enough, testimony from a recent House subcommittee hearing revealed “the extent of the hazard posed to firefighters and other first-responders” when battling an E.V. fire, most importantly, “exposure to toxic gasses and electrocution.” Here’s this, from reporter Kevin Killough last week:

Fire Chief Dan Munsey, Fire Chief for the San Bernardino County Fire Department in California, explained that the EV fires give off ‘copious amounts of toxic chemical gasses,’ and current personal protective equipment (PPE) hasn’t been designed to protect firefighters from the types of gasses their [sic] exposed to when responding to these kinds of fires.

Among those chemicals, Munsey said, is hydrogen fluorine. According to the CDC, breathing the acid can damage lung tissue and cause swelling and fluid accumulation in the lungs.

‘Frankly, over my career, I’ve seen way too many firefighters die from cancer. Our cancer rate is higher than the civilian population. The electric vehicle lithium ion batteries pose a challenge to firefighters’ health,’ Munsey said.

Furthermore, Killough also noted this:

A study by the Manhattan Institute found that EVs production creates a lot more carbon dioxide emissions to manufacture than conventional cars.

As a colleague concisely said: “dirty to make, dirty to drive.”

So, if all this is known, why the misinformation (E.V.s are not “zero emissions” options), and government bludgeoning for the agenda?

Because, as we canaries in the coal—or is it lithium?—mine have presciently warned… it’s never been about the environment.

Image generated by AI.