Explore the health, environmental, and economic benefits of electric vehicles. Highlighted are tools and resources which include data, published studies, and examples by states or regions.

 

• American Lung Association

  • The Road to Clean Air: Benefits of a Nationwide Transition to Electric Vehicles (2020)

    • This study examines the health, environmental, and economic benefits for transitioning to zero-emission transportation solutions.

    • Road to Clean Air 2020 Webpage shares an overview of the study.

    • Road to Clean Air 2020 Report gives a detailed breakdown of the health, environmental, and economic benefits.

    • Road to Clean Air 2020 Executive Summary provides a 5-page easy to share summary of health and economic benefits.

    • See the Midwest Example for an example of one region.

 

• Harvard - T.H. Chan School of Public Health

  • Increasing the use of electric cars could improve health outcomes
    ​“The analysis presents a clear case for substituting conventional internal combustion vehicles with electric vehicles in urban areas. Public health benefits of reduced air pollution exposures are substantial and accrue in every large metropolitan area (MSAs). In some MSAs the benefits per mile are quite large and support a public policy argument for stimulating the rapid replacement of current gasoline and diesel cars and light-duty trucks with electric vehicles. This is true even when electricity is fully supplied by fossil fuel plants.”

 

• Resources for the Future

  • What Are the Climate, Air Pollution, and Health Benefits of Electric Vehicles? (2023)

    • Webpage for working paper modeling the climate and health benefits of plug-in vehicles under five different policy and market scenarios.

    • Read the Report for closer review of the modeling framework and results.

 

• University of Southern California

  • Study links adoption of electric vehicles with less air pollution and improved health
    “A USC study found that at the zip code level, for every additional 20 ZEVs per 1,000 people, there was a 3.2% drop in the rate of asthma-related emergency visits and a small suggestive reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels. Asthma is one of the health concerns long linked with air pollutants such as NO2, which can also cause and exacerbate other respiratory diseases, as well as problems with the heart, brain, and other organ systems.”

 

• U.S. Department of Energy - Alternative Fuels Data Center

  • Emissions from Electric Vehicles
    ​Provides national and state results for annual emissions per vehicle based on electricity resource mix. Includes a tool to review by state.

 

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

  • The Green Vehicle Guide highlights seven Electric Vehicle Myths.

  • Regulations for Emissions from Vehicles and Engines covers regulations for Onroad and Nonroad vehicles and engines. It also features Greenhouse Gas regulations for light duty vehicles up through federal fleets.