October 16, 2019 12:44 PM EDT
Air pollution has significant impacts to public health and the cars, trucks, and buses on America’s roads contribute to this problem. While we are all exposed to this pollution, there are significant differences in the average exposure to this air pollution by different racial groups in the U.S. and exposure also varies greatly depending on where in the U.S. you live. Read more >
August 9, 2019 1:06 PM EDT
Colorado is poised to enact requirements for automakers to sell “Zero Emission Vehicles” (ZEVs) in the state. In 2018, Colorado was already in the top 5 states in terms of percent of vehicle sales that are electric in the country, so why is this important? It’s because despite progress, Colorado could be moving even faster to switch from gasoline to electricity to power cars and trucks, if there were more models of electric vehicles available.
July 30, 2019 4:10 PM EDT
Electric vehicles can significantly reduce the emissions from driving by substituting increasingly cleaner electricity for gasoline. At UCS we’ve been tracking how the difference between gasoline and electric car emissions have been changing and where in the US has the lowest electric vehicle emissions. In 2018, UCS updated our estimates of the carbon emissions of electric vehicles with latest electricity data and now we’ve updated our vehicle emissions calculator with the latest models to reflect the carbon emissions savings from these new vehicles.
April 24, 2019 2:31 PM EDT
It’s clearer every day: the future of transportation is electric. We should be cheering this transition—and encouraging it, because along with the benefits for drivers, electrifying transportation is going to be a critical piece of fighting climate change.
February 5, 2019 12:00 PM EDT
Cars, trucks, and buses are a significant source of air pollution in California. But how much pollution is attributable to these vehicles and who is exposed to this pollution? To help answer these questions, I’ve used a computer model to estimate the amount of fine particulate matter air pollution (known as PM2.5) created by using on-road vehicles (cars, trucks, and buses). The findings are troubling, both because they show that people of color are exposed to higher levels of harmful air pollution and because this result is likely not to be a surprise to many Californians (full report available in English and Spanish). The study supports the claims many have been making for decades – that on average, African American, Latino, and Asian Californians are exposed to more PM2.5 pollution from cars, trucks, and buses than white Californians. In fact, these groups are exposed to PM2.5 pollution 43, 39, and 21 percent higher, respectively, than white Californians.
