We already know that EVs can be very beneficial locally. The absence of an exhaust system reduces harmful emissions to very low levels (brake dust and microplastics from tire wear still count). But one new simple test reveals another interesting aspect of EV ownership – public chargers can be cleaner than gas pumps. Here’s how they figured it out.
In the long run, a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) or a fuel-cell one (FCEV) is undoubtedly better for any kind of community. It’s not us saying it, but science. Even in worst-case scenarios, the BEV remains an environmentally friendlier solution. And if we add renewable sources of energy into the mix, the carbon footprint of the EV owner decreases consistently with every extra mile driven.
But you may not care very much about the environment or you don’t believe that BEVs are the solution to bringing down current pollution levels. While the impact of EVs at a global scale may be debatable and their current pricing policy doesn’t necessarily make all these cars accessible to everyone, everywhere… This one new thing might attract your attention – cleanliness.
In 2022, EVs reached a 5.8% market share in the U.S. which represents a year-over-year increase of 2.7%. Slowly yet surely, more and more Americans are warming up to the idea of having an all-electric vehicle in their garage. Naturally, the competition to provide EV owners with means to charge their cars is growing. Tesla and Electrify America are some of the biggest names in this sector, but the addition of the Magic Box might tip the scales in favor of the automaker that’s also making a play for the utility sector. What’s even more interesting is that even the convenience store and gas station chain Circle K is making a play in this niche domain. It even advertises lit parking lots, clean restrooms, and free Wi-Fi.
If we learned something from the global health crisis is that we must wash our hands more often and be more mindful regardless of where we spend our free time. So, for drivers, which place is cleaner – the fuel pump or the EV charger? Someone wanted to find to answer to this, so they decided to swab some often-touched surfaces of the two objects in search of colony-forming units (CFUs). These are bacterial readings that can tell you what and how many germs you might find on various things.
Photo: Price4Limo
After analyzing five common surfaces and repeating the swabbing three times, the conclusion was in – the EV charger is cleaner. According to Price4Limo’s result, the verified surfaces you might interact with at the gas pump had around 36,000,000 CFUs while the EV charger’s swab results only showed 16,200,000 CFUs.
Going even further, bacteria known as gram-positive cocci are considered good bacteria, while gram-negative is exactly the opposite. On the EV connector handle, they found around 1,200,000 CFUs of gram-negative rods, while the fuel pump handle analysis displayed 30,000,000 CFUs of gram-negative rods. So, things look even bleaker for the fossil fuel station.
Nobody expects people to wear gloves when touching various surfaces, but it might be a good idea to start washing your hands more regularly after filling up your internal combustion engine car or charging your electric vehicle.
Finally, keep in mind this was an analysis done on one gas pump and one EV charging station. There’s no statistical utility to this result, but it gives us a good first look at how car ownership can impact our lives and health based on what type of drivetrain we choose and the places we like to visit often.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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