China’s rapid switch to electric and other new energy vehicles, cut urban air pollution enough to prevent an estimated 262,000 premature deaths, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in Nature Health.
The study used high-resolution satellite air-quality data and machine learning to measure pollution across 150 Chinese cities. The researchers compared actual pollution levels to a counterfactual scenario in which every vehicle on the road still ran on an internal combustion engine.
By 2023, the spread of new energy vehicles (NEVs) was linked to a 23.80% reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a drop of 8.97 micrograms per cubic meter. Carbon monoxide fell even further, down 30.67%.
