Studies have actually shown that electric cars produce more than 90% as much particulate-matter air pollution as fossil fuel cars.
The reason for this is two-fold:
1. Modern gasoline cars produce very clean exhaust.
2. Most of the particulate pollution comes from wear on tires, brake and the road surface. And electric cars, being heavier than average, produce more wear on tires and road surface.
Electrification is part of the puzzle, but we also need to get people out of giant, heavy vehicles into right-sized vehicles for their trip. (And the majority of trips are less than 5 miles!)
It’s true that tire wear may be increased slightly due to weight, but electrics aren’t that much heavier than combustion vehicles: typically 10-20% more for comparable vehicles of the same size/class.
Under normal road/wear conditions, most tires degrade into relatively large particles that are not actually aerosolised. They end up on the road and get washed away by weather. The main place where they become a problem is in tunnels where the dry conditions and passing traffic keep picking them back up into the air.
Finally, brake pads. Electric hugely reduce brake wear due to regenerative braking. Most EV owners will tell you that they’ve never had to replace their brake pads!
Electric cars will produce very little brake dust as they regenerative braking. In an emergency braking situation they will use friction braking but not for day to day driving.
That means 90% of cars particulate matter must be coming from tyres and the road surface. How far does this travel? Does it just fall back quickly onto the road? Does it get washed away in a rain storm?
Do you have a link to the studies you're referencing? I don't not believe you, but I'd love to share them. Living in CO, there is a problem with electric cars, (somewhat) as the electric is usually produced by coal, so the pollution is simply moved away from the source (although potentially lowered - but not by much if you compare it to a gas-powered econo vehicle)
All pollution is some kind of particle - here it just means that emissions are coming out of the tail pipe as a byproduct of the internal combustion engine, as opposed to the particulate created from braking, etc.
The reason for this is two-fold: 1. Modern gasoline cars produce very clean exhaust. 2. Most of the particulate pollution comes from wear on tires, brake and the road surface. And electric cars, being heavier than average, produce more wear on tires and road surface.
Electrification is part of the puzzle, but we also need to get people out of giant, heavy vehicles into right-sized vehicles for their trip. (And the majority of trips are less than 5 miles!)
--
Edit for the people asking for sources:
The lit review suggesting EVs have >90% as much particulate emissions as internal-combustion: http://www.soliftec.com/NonExhaust%20PMs.pdf
Another review that acknowledges these numbers vary depending on rainy vs dry climate, use of snow tires, etc...
https://www.kau.edu.sa/Files/188/Researches/65862_37290.pdf