Electric cars produce more brake dust, and it’s more dangerous than diesel exhaust. Thats the claim doing the rounds, because a University of Southampton study proved brake dust is more dangerous than diesel exhaust, supposedly making electric vehicles worse for our health. But that’s not what the study found. Researchers discovered that certain types of brake dust particles caused more damage to lung cells in laboratory tests than the diesel exhaust particles they tested. That’s an important finding, but there’s a rather obvious problem with using it to attack electric vehicles. EVs produce LESS brake dust. They use regenerative braking, allowing the electric motor to slow the vehicle while recovering energy. This significantly reduces reliance on conventional friction brakes, meaning less brake wear and fewer brake dust emissions. The study didn’t compare the overall pollution produced by electric and diesel vehicles. It didn’t conclude that EVs were more harmful to human health. And it certainly didn’t establish that brake dust pollution makes EVs worse than diesels. Let’s also remember that diesel vehicles produce exhaust emissions, including nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which electric vehicles don’t produce at the tailpipe. EVs aren’t pollution-free. They still produce tyre and road wear particles, and some brake dust. But taking a study about the toxicity of certain brake particles and presenting it as evidence against EVs is completely misleading. The irony is that regenerative braking is already helping tackle the very problem the researchers highlighted. .