EVs have countless environmental benefits, but a new study reveals they also leave a surprising carbon footprint.
By now, the environmental benefits of electric vehicles are well known. Their lack of emissions alone makes them an attractive choice to anyone looking to lower their personal carbon footprint. However, a recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA highlighted a major way in which electric vehicles might be harming their local environments and silently impacting air quality.
According to the study, the problem is not with electric vehicles themselves but with their chargers. Researchers found that the air quality around Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) was significantly worse than in other areas, discovering “high levels of fine particulate matter” in locations near electric vehicle chargers.
“For anyone, exposure to fine particles can contribute to health issues, and for those with existing conditions or heightened sensitivity, the risks are even greater,” said study author Michael Jerrett, a professor at UCLA Fielding’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences. “Because these particles are so small, they can travel deep into your lungs and even enter your bloodstream—potentially leading to serious problems like heart or lung disease.”
Why Are EV Charging Stations Impacting Air Quality?
There are several reasons why charging stations pollute the air around them. Some are highly scientific and involve what happens as electricity is converted from the grid. But perhaps the likeliest culprit is also the easiest to understand: fans.
EV charging stations rely on a series of fans to keep their electronics from overheating. When those fans spin, they kick up all kinds of particles in the air, including harmful particles generated by the EV charger itself.
What Can Be Done?
The good news is that some EV manufacturers are already aware of the issue and are working to correct it. “On all of our current DC fast chargers, ChargePoint enforces a minimum height for the air intake and exhaust to limit the ingress of dust, debris and water,” a spokesperson for ChargePoint Holdings Inc., which operates the largest charging network in the US, told the LA Times. Chargepoint already has to plans to add filters to their chargers in order to “further reduce the risk of dust or water entering the system, or particulates being expelled.”
Sources
- UCLA Newsroom, “UCLA team finds high levels of particulates in air near electric vehicle fast charging stations” (2025)
- LA Times, “EV fast chargers have a surprising health downside” (2025)
- Science Direct, “Fine particulate matter emissions from electric vehicle fast charging stations” (2025)
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