EVs are dramatically cleaner — but not free. Tire-wear microplastics, grid emissions, charging inefficiency, and battery production all carry real environmental cost. Our engine deducts each one transparently before issuing a single credit.
Tire-derived particles are now estimated to contribute ~78% of ocean microplastics by mass (IUCN 2024). EVs wear tires up to 20% faster than comparable ICE vehicles due to weight and torque. We convert that material loss into a CO₂-equivalent penalty.
wear_rate = base × w_mult × t_mult × b_mult material = miles × wear_rate // grams penalty = material × 0.0085 × risk // kg CO₂e
An EV in West Virginia (coal-heavy grid) emits 3× more grams of CO₂ per kWh than one in California. We use regional grid factors per trip — based on where charging actually happened — so the deduction reflects reality, not averages.
| Region | g CO₂e / kWh |
|---|---|
| UK | 193 |
| US-NY | 220 |
| US-CA | 230 |
| EU-AVG | 252 |
| US-AVG | 386 |
| US-TX | 410 |
| GLOBAL-AVG | 475 |
| CN | 580 |
| IN | 716 |
Charging losses, transmission heat, and battery thermal management consume 5–15% of grid energy before propulsion. We apply a default 8% overhead penalty on top of grid emissions, configurable by admin.
Level-1 & Level-2 losses: 10–18%. DC fast chargers: 4–8%.
Grid-to-meter loss averages 5–8% on US distribution networks.
Hot/cold weather climate control draws extra kWh, especially under DC fast.
We don't ship deductions until the science is solid and the data is collectible. These two modules are scoped, modeled, and entering pilot testing — they will be deducted in methodology v1.1.
EV battery production emits 60–100 kg CO₂e per kWh of capacity. We will amortize this over the battery's expected mileage and deduct a per-trip share. Includes mining, refining, cell manufacturing, and end-of-life recycling credit.
EVs use less friction braking thanks to regen — but brake-pad dust (copper, iron, ceramic) still contaminates air and water. We will model brake-wear loss with regen-credit applied, especially for heavier EVs with mechanical brake reliance.
New environmental deductions plug into the engine without breaking historical credits. Each module ships with its formula, defaults, evidence sources, and an immutable version tag.
Add a deduction module without rebuilding the engine
Each batch locks the exact module versions used at minting
Open source formula + defaults + evidence per module
Per-trip and per-credit disclosure of each deduction