computer simulations

Much of the discussion about the benefits of electric vehicles centers about the climate impact of not burning fossil fuels as well as about reduced operating costs. A new study by the University of Toronto looked at the health benefits of large-scale adoption of electric vehicles.

The Toronto researchers used computer simulations to show that widespread electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet when coupled with significant use of renewable energy to power the fleet could result in health benefits worth between $84 and $188 billion dollars by 2050. Expressing these benefits in dollar terms is a way to quantify those benefits, but clearly what is most important is people’s health.

Carbon dioxide coming out of tailpipes is what is most harmful to the climate, but there is much more than CO2 vehicle exhaust. There are many air pollutants that have a significant, quantifiable impact on human health. These include nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and small particles known as PM2.5.

The study simulated levels of air pollution across the United States under various scenarios of adoption of EVs and the use of renewable energy. The simulations clearly showed that the combination of widespread use of electric vehicles and the greening of the power grid would result in huge cumulative public health benefits. But these benefits will take time to accrue. The internal combustion vehicles being sold today will still be on the roads for many years and will continue to spread pollution everywhere there are roads.

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New research reveals how large-scale adoption of electric vehicles can improve air quality and human health

Photo, posted May 7, 2020, courtesy of Mark Vletter via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

In 2015, UC Riverside materials scientists placed a mottled black beetle in a parking lot and ran it over with a Toyota Camry. Twice. Crushed beneath the wheels of a 3,500-pound sedan, the inch-long insect made it through without a scratch.

For the past five years, a group of scientists have been studying this remarkable bug, which has the splendid name of the diabolical ironclad beetle. Using a combination of advanced microscopy, mechanical testing, and computer simulations, the researchers have figured out the secret of this beetle’s crush resistance.

The beetle’s super-toughness lies in two armorlike structures called elytra that meet in a line, called a suture, running the length of the abdomen. The suture acts like a jigsaw puzzle. It connects various exoskeletal blades – the puzzle pieces – in the abdomen under the elytra. These structural components can act in different ways. The interconnecting blades lock to prevent themselves from pulling out of the suture. The suture and blades delaminate, leading to a graceful deformation rather than catastrophic failure. These strategies dissipate energy to circumvent fracturing.

The researchers found that the diabolical ironclad beetle – just had to say that name again – can take on an applied force of about 150 newtons, a load at least 39,000 times its body weight. (That’s the equivalent of a 150-pound person resisting the crush of about 25 blue whales).

An ongoing challenge for structural engineering is how to join together different materials without limiting their ability to support loads. The strategies evolved in these beetles may be applicable in gas turbines of aircraft, for example, where metals and composite materials are joined together with mechanical fasteners. We can learn things from the toughest beetle of them all.

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Diabolical ironclad beetles inspire tougher joints for engineering applications

Photo, posted April 9, 2017, courtesy of Vahe Martirosyan via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Electric vehicles and health

Much of the discussion about the benefits of electric vehicles centers about the climate impact of not burning fossil fuels as well as about reduced operating costs. A new study by the University of Toronto looked at the health benefits of large-scale adoption of electric vehicles.

Web Links

The Toughest Beetle Of Them All | Earth Wise

In 2015, UC Riverside materials scientists placed a mottled black beetle in a parking lot and ran it over with a Toyota Camry. Twice. Crushed beneath the wheels of a 3,500-pound sedan, the inch-long insect made it through without a scratch.

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