Internal Combustion Engine, Electric Vehicles & Air Quality Connections
How ground-level ozone formsCopyright https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-basics#wwh
This lesson introduces students to the concepts of air pollution from transportation and related health effects, plus vehicle solutions to help reduce air pollution and improve air quality.
First, students watch a video of vehicles in traffic and reflect on what they observed. Next, they learn about particulate matter (PM), a primary air pollutant, and do basic visual air quality and PM health effects assessments. Finally, students compare and contrast gas-powered and electric vehicles in relation to their energy sources and impacts on air quality.
This lesson introduces students to the concepts of air pollution and air quality. Students learn about the basic effects of gas-powered and electric vehicle emissions on air quality. Students work together to learn about the color-coded Air Quality Index chart, and what each chart level means in terms of the level of ground-level ozone pollution and its corresponding air quality rating. The source of ground-level ozone and its effects, and ways to reduce ozone pollution and stay safe on high-level ozone days are also presented.
Developing new technologies that use alternative energy sources is key to designing clean-energy cars, which help improve air quality.
Chemical engineers improve current battery technologies and develop new battery designs.
Electrical engineers design the electrical circuitry to charge the battery and distribute the electricity from the battery to the electric motor.
Many electric vehicles are made of newer materials that are lighter and stronger and may incorporate environmentally-friendly materials, which materials engineers develop, process, and test.
Mechanical engineers design, develop, and test mechanical devices in electric vehicles including electric motors, transmissions, drivetrains, and steering systems.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Recall that particulate matter and ground-level ozone affect air quality.
- Recognize ground-level ozone and particulate matter pollution is formed from gas-powered vehicle emissions and not electric-powered vehicles since they do not have any emissions.