Can Electric Vehicles Reduce Summertime Air Pollution Exposure Inequalities in Metro Atlanta? A High‐Resolution Analysis

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely expected to improve air quality by reducing on‐road emissions, but their impacts on exposure inequalities remain uncertain. To assess whether EVs can reduce summertime air pollution exposure inequalities in the Atlanta metropolitan area, we conduct high‐resolution (1 km) photochemical air quality simulations using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. A 30% EV adoption of heavy‐duty and light‐duty vehicles is simulated to evaluate changes in nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ), maximum daily 8‐hr average ozone (MDA8 O ₃ ), and fine particulate matter (PM _2.5 ) during summer. EV adoption leads to average domain‐wide concentration reductions of 0.22 ppb in NO ₂ , 0.94 ppb in MDA8 O ₃ , and 0.06 μg/m ³ in PM _2.5 , with localized increases in NO ₂ and PM _2.5 near power plants from increased electricity demand. The primary driver of air quality improvement from EV adoption is the reduction in on‐road vehicle emissions, which outweighs any increases in emissions from electric generating units. The largest exposure reductions are observed in communities with higher proportions of Asian, Hispanic, and Black populations, underscoring the potential for EV adoption to alleviate exposure burdens in the communities of color. However, exposure disparities persist even with EV adoption, despite overall reductions in exposure levels across all racial/ethnic groups. Coarse‐resolution (12 km) simulations tend to underestimate exposure for minority groups by up to 25% for NO ₂ and 10% for PM _{2 .5} but still capture the overall patterns of exposure disparities.