From governments and automakers to environmental activists and climate-conscious consumers, every stakeholder is placing his bets on a blasé assumption: EVs are the ‘future of mobility.’
With road transport contributing 12% of India’s energy-related CO₂ emissions, there are strong reasons to promote EVs: no tailpipe emissions, reduced fossil fuel dependency, and the promise of cleaner air. Well, maybe not the last one.
A growing body of research is beginning to challenge that assumption. A study published in Soft Matter, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, indicates that EVs may, in fact, contribute more microplastic and nanoplastic (MNP) particles to the environment than ICE vehicles.
The main culprit? Tyres which experience greater wear and tear due to the increased weight of electric vehicles (EVs). The study shows that as vehicle weight increases, so does the release of smaller magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs).
“As you increase the weight, you get more (MNP) particles. Similarly, the more the speed of the vehicle, the more the emission of MNPs,” says Sanat Kumar, professor of chemical engineering at Columbia University and one of the study’s authors.
While microplastics typically settle to the ground, nanoplastics remain suspended in the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution. These findings put electric vehicles (EVs) in a difficult spot.
Battery-operated vehicles typically weigh 20–30% more than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. For example, the unladen weight of Tata Motors’ Nexon EV ranges from 1,437 to 1,531 kg, whereas the petrol variant weighs between 1,180 and 1,278 kg.
The battery, which accounts for around 25% of an EV’s weight, is the primary contributor to this increase. Despite advances in battery efficiency, it remains the vehicle’s heaviest component. Furthermore, unlike ICE vehicles, EVs provide instant torque, which can exacerbate tyre wear. The Soft Matter study also recorded increased MNP release with higher vehicle speeds.
And the issue isn’t just theoretical. A 2017 study titled Primary Microplastics in the Oceans identified tyre abrasion as a major contributor to ocean microplastic pollution. “The largest proportion of these particles (microplastics) stem from the laundering of synthetic textiles and the abrasion of tyres while driving,” the study notes. Contrary to popular belief, tyres are not primarily made of natural rubber. Over half—around 57%—consist of synthetic rubber, a form of plastic. Roughly 6.4 million tons of synthetic rubber are used globally each year in tire manufacturing.
Julien Boucher, Co-CEO and head of research at Earth Action, a Swiss environmental consultancy, points out that tyre design innovation has been minimal, revealing a critical gap in sustainable automotive development.
What is even more concerning is the limited knowledge about the environmental and health impacts of MNPs. Their minute size makes them difficult to detect, study, or regulate.
According to Guruswamy Kumaraswamy, co-author of the Soft Matter study and professor at IIT Bombay, existing air quality regulations on PM10 and PM2.5 are based on particle weight. Nanoplastics, despite being numerous, have negligible mass—meaning their emissions go largely unchecked.
“What is clearly established (through studies) is that MNPs are present in almost every organ of the human body,” Kumar says. “But studies on health are a lot less definitive.”
As EV adoption accelerates globally—including in India—there’s an urgent need to account for such non-exhaust emissions.
According to the International Energy Agency, electric car sales are expected to grow by 25% in 2025, surpassing 20 million units. While EVs currently hold a 2–5% share in India’s two- and four-wheeler segments, government incentives and industry momentum are set to increase that number.
The takeaway? “The goal of putting out a problem in the public is to allow smart people to think about it and find a solution to reduce plastic pollution and its presence in the body and the environment,” says Kumar.
