Effect of Vehicular Electrification on Air Quality in Florida
SHREYA SAPKOTA DHAKAL, Prashant Shekhar, Haofei Yu, Marwa El-Sayed,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Abstract Number: 659
Working Group: Combustion
AbstractVehicular emissions from fuel-based passenger cars emit an array of gases and particles that are detrimental for human health and the environment. In that regard, electric vehicles (EVs) present a viable, sustainable solution. This study investigates the impact of electrification of passenger cars on air quality in Florida, in five major urban counties namely Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange, and Leon. Between 2018 and 2022, these counties experienced a significant increase of 217.68% ± 52.11% in EV adoption, coupled with a 11.56% ± 6.23% decrease in fuel-based vehicle usage. Herein, we characterize five pollutants primarily generated from fuel-based passenger vehicles- carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO
2), particulate matter (PM
2.5 and PM
10), and carbon dioxide (CO
2)- over a five-year period (2018 – 2022). Hourly traffic data counts and their corresponding emissions were analyzed using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) software using the county scale. The shift from fuel-based vehicles to EVs has led to significant reductions in emissions across the five counties. By comparing data in 2022 to 2018, average reductions of 20.93% ± 11.73%, 13.77% ± 7.44, 41.77% ± 26.42%, 42.52% ± 27.04%, and 11.99% ± 6.42% were observed for CO, CO
2, NO
2, PM
2.5, and PM
10, respectively. Generally, Leon County (located in northern Florida and home for the state’s capital) experienced the highest reduction followed by Miami-Dade County (located in southern Florida), likely due to their high population densities. These results will be used to forecast future emissions based on recommendations from the Paris Agreement and U.S. projections for EV adoption in 2030 and 2050. This work highlights the role of vehicular electrification as a critical strategy for improving air quality at both local and regional levels during the vehicle use phase.
This abstract has supplementary material available. Click PDF icon to download.