Work

Impact of car electrification on urban noise pollution: a microscopic traffic simulation study

Year: 2024

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Noise pollution is a major health and well-being concern, being associated with, e.g., sleep disturbance, annoyance, and cardiovascular diseases. Road traffic is, by far, the largest contributor to this noise pollution in urban areas. With the growing electrification of cars in developed countries, it is commonly believed that road traffic noise pollution and the associated problems will disappear shortly in urban areas. However, at high speeds, the difference in noise emissions between internal-combustion-engine and electric vehicles is not significant, and at low speeds, the propulsion noise of electric cars is not negligible. Few works have quantitatively estimated the actual impact of passenger cars electrification on population exposure to noise, especially considering such aspects as the gradual transition towards a fully electric fleet. The present contribution thus aims to assess the evolution of population exposure to noise pollution, using a microscopic traffic simulation on the scale of an entire city, noise mapping, and various indicators, at multiple stages of this transition.

Source: NOISE-CON proceedings

DOI: 10.3397/in_2024_4014

Authors: Sacha BACLET, Johan NYGREN, Romain RUMPLER

Institution: KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Noise Effects and Management

Subfield: Speech and Hearing

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: green

Funders: Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Tartu Ülikool