TOKYO — With the growing popularity of electric vehicles, cars are getting heavier.
EVs tend to weigh more than their gasoline counterparts due to the big battery packs they carry, and their weight continues to rise as the batteries get larger to extend driving range. But heavier cars emit more fine particulates as their tires wear faster. By one estimate, tires used on EVs release 30% more such pollutants than those on gasoline-powered vehicles.