ADVERTISEABOUT USSUBMIT A STORYSUBSCRIBETERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY
Visit our family of Brands

New Houston study shows health impacts of full vehicle electrification in major U.S. cities

what could be

Switching fully to electric vehicles could prevent 157 premature deaths each month in Houston. Photo courtesy

A new study from the University of Houston shows that there's no one-size-fits-all strategy for full vehicle electrification in America's largest U.S. cities.

The study by Ali Mousavinezhad and Yunsoo Choi considered changes in air pollution, specifically PM2.5 and ozone levels, in Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago under different electrification scenarios and how the changes could impact public health.

“Our findings indicate vehicle electrification generally contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and lowering the mortality rate associated with exposure to toxic air pollutants,” Mousavinezhad said in a statement.

However, Mousavinezhad and Choi found that full electrification in Los Angeles could have negative impacts on public health.

Switching fully to electric vehicles could prevent 157 premature deaths each month in Houston, 796 deaths in New York and 328 in Chicago, according to the study. But in Los Angeles, full electrification would increase mortality.

Additionally, full electrification would save between $51 million to $249 million per day for New York, Chicago, and Houston in health-related costs. But Los Angeles would face economic losses of up to $18 million per day.

This was largely due to the unique weather and geography in Los Angeles that can trap air pollutants that harm the lungs. The study found that full electrification would lead to increases in PM2.5 and MDA8 ozone. According to UH, the study reveals the importance and "complexity of air quality management."

“The four largest U.S. cities have distinct anthropogenic sources of air pollutants and greenhouse gases, “Choi added. “Each city requires unique regulations or strategies, including different scenarios for the adoption of electric vehicles, to reduce concentrations of these pollutants and greenhouse gases effectively.”

Mousavinezhad, lead author, is a recent Ph.D. graduate from UH. Choi is a professor of atmospheric chemistry, AI deep learning, air quality modeling and satellite remote sensing. The study, titled “Air quality and health co-benefits of vehicle electrification and emission controls in the most populated United States urban hubs: insights from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston,” was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment earlier this year.

Earlier this year, Texas ranked low in a study that looked at the closest EV charging stations equivalent to a trip to the gas station. However, another study showed that Texas is among the top of the pack for states with the most electric vehicle registrations, but Houston fell behind other large metros in the state for EV friendliness. Click here to read more about both reports.
From Your Site Articles
Here's how Houston and Texas fared on a new electric vehicle report. Photo via Getty Images

Texas ranks high on new EV study, but Houston was outpaced by other metros

driving toward progress

A new study shows that Texas is among the top of the pack for states with the most electric vehicle registrations. But Houston falls behind other large metros in the state for EV friendliness.

The March report from StorageCafe, which compiled data from the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Energy and other sources, showed that Texas had the third-most EV registrations in the county in 2021 at 112,000 vehicles.

California outpaced the rest of the country by a longshot with 878,000 registrations, claiming the number one spot. Florida had the second-most registrations at 128,000.

The report also looked at EV friendliness, which factored in EV registrations as well as the number of charging stations per household, EV exemptions, incentives and various other factors.

Houston was ranked 32nd on the friendliness list. The report found that Bayou City drivers registered 27,251 EVs in 2021. Charging stations are available in about 3.8 percent of rental buildings and there are 0.2 charging stations for every 1,000 households in the city.

Dallas claimed the top spot for the state at No. 15 with more than 29,000 EV registrations in 2021. Though Dallas has the same ratio of EV charging stations per household, there are more charging stations in rental buildings in the city.

Austin, at No. 22, also outranked Houston. Though the capital city only registered 8,730 EVs in 2021 there are much more charging stations per household (0.7 for every 1,000) and in rental buildings (5.5 percent).

San Antonio came in at No. 36, the McAllen area at No. 75, and El Paso at No. 83.

Seattle was named the friendliest place to own an EV. The drivers in the city registered more than 47,000 EVs in 2021.

Doug Ressler, a business intelligence manager at Yardi Matrix, which contributed to the report, weighed in on the findings.

“The electric car movement is gaining momentum, but it isn’t without its challenges. The high price of an EV–although brought down by incentives now – range and charging stations still pose some problems," he said in a statement. "However, with the expansion of the charging network–including in apartment buildings–and the gradual lowering of the EV price, buying and using an EV can become mainstream in the foreseeable future."

He also estimated that EVs will "dominate the car market" by 2045. By 2050, he said EVs could make up about 90 percent of the market.

Earlier this month Hertz announced that it would triple Houston's electric rental fleet, as well as add a fast-charging hub to Hobby Airport that's designed to serve ride-hail, taxi fleets and the general public.

------

This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

8 Houston companies earn CleanTech Breakthrough Awards

winner, winners

Eight cleantech companies with Houston headquarters were recognized in this year’s CleanTech Breakthrough Awards program.

CleanTech Breakthrough, part of market intelligence platform Tech Breakthrough, honors innovative and influential energy, climate, and cleantech companies, products and services.

This year’s winners from Houston are:

  • CleanTech Analytics Company of the Year: Amperon, a provider of AI-powered energy forecasting software
  • Overall Hydrogen Solution of the Year: Eclipse Energy, which converts maxed-out oilfields into low-cost sources of hydrogen
  • Energy Production Company of the Year: Fervo Energy, a provider of geothermal power
  • Production Solution of the Year: Quaise Energy, a developer of a drilling system for converting traditional power stations into geothermal energy plants
  • Green Materials Solution of the Year: Solidec, which uses air, water, and electricity to produce chemicals
  • Hydrogen Production Solution of the Year: VEMA Hydrogen, a producer of renewable hydrogen
  • CleanTech Analytics Innovation Award: Finland-based Wärtsilä, a provider of advanced energy storage systems and services, which maintains its U.S. headquarters in Houston
  • Energy Production Platform of the Year: France-based energy giant TotalEnergies, which maintains its U.S. headquarters in Houston

Other Texas companies made the list, including Austin-headquartered Base Power, founded by Justin Lopas and Zach Dell. Zach Dell is the son of Austin billionaire and Houston native Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies. The company recently started servicing Houston and established an office in Katy.

CleanTech Breakthrough says its annual awards program honors “the visionaries and leaders accelerating the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

“In a world increasingly focused on sustainability and environmental responsibility, innovation in clean technology has never been more critical,” said Bryan Vaughn, managing director of CleanTech Breakthrough. “This year’s winners represent the very best in ingenuity and execution, delivering solutions that not only reduce environmental impact but also drive efficiency, scalability and real-world results.”

See the full list of the 2026 winners here.

HETI's new executive director takes the helm

new leader

The Houston Energy Transition Initiative has a new executive director.

Sophia Cunningham assumed the position this month, succeeding the organization's founding executive director, Jane Stricker.

"Four years ago, I could never have imagined the opportunities, experiences and relationships this role has enabled," Strickler wrote in an address earlier this year. "I am truly grateful for the support and engagement of Houston’s business and community leaders, the visionary leadership of Bobby Tudor, Scott Nyquist, HETI Members, and the Greater Houston Partnership in creating this initiative at exactly the right moment in time. I am incredibly proud of the HETI and the Partnership team members who have delivered with purpose and passion, and I greatly appreciate Houston’s energy and climate leaders and champions who have supported my agenda, challenged my thinking, broadened my perspectives, and worked with HETI to demonstrate the power of partnership in developing, innovating and advancing the ideas and technologies needed to meet this challenge for our region and the world."

Stricker shared on LinkedIn that she has joined the advisory board of FluxPoint Energy, which launched last month during CERAWeek, in addition to her other roles at Greentown Labs, Prana Low Carbon Economy Investments and UNC Kenan-Flagler Energy Center.

Cunningham previously served as vice president at HETI, where she was responsible for efforts related to carbon capture, use and storage; methane management; community engagement and stakeholder activation. Before joining HETI, she was director of public policy at The Greater Houston Partnership.

She earned her master's in Energy Management and Systems Technology from Texas A&M University and holds a bachelor's degree from Davidson College.

“I’m honored to step into the role of Executive Director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative at such a pivotal moment for our industry," Cunningham said over email. "Houston has the talent, infrastructure, and leadership to meet growing global energy demand while reducing emissions, and I’m excited to work alongside our members and partners to accelerate solutions that are reliable, affordable, and scalable.”

The Greater Houston Partnership launched HETI in June 2021 to "meet a Dual Challenge of producing more energy that the world needs with less emissions," according to its website.

Pattern Energy expands clean energy portfolio with acquisition of Canadian producer

acquisition closed

Clean energy and transmission infrastructure company Pattern Energy completed the acquisition of Canadian independent power producer Cordelio Power this month.

Pattern Energy, which is headquartered in San Francisco and has major operations in Houston, will now own one of the largest independent clean energy infrastructure platforms in North America, according to a release.

Pattern Energy will add approximately 1,550 megawatts of operating and in-construction assets, including 16 wind, solar and energy storage projects across the United States and Canada, as part of the deal. In addition, they have also acquired the majority of Cordelio’s development pipeline in key U.S. markets and members of Cordelio’s team.

“Closing this transaction marks a significant milestone for Pattern Energy as we continue to scale our platform to meet North America’s growing energy needs,” Hunter Armistead, CEO of Pattern Energy, said in the release. “Cordelio brings a highly complementary portfolio of quality assets and a talented team. Together, we are even better positioned to power the future.”

Currently, Pattern Energy’s portfolio includes wind, solar and energy storage projects in over 40 facilities in North America. Pattern Energy had 12,000 megawatts of operating and in-construction capacity before the deal.

The acquisition was first announced Jan. 6, 2025.

“Pattern and Cordelio share a commitment to responsible development and the communities in which we work,” Chris Hind, CEO of Cordelio Power, said in a news release. “We look forward to joining with Pattern Energy to deliver high-quality projects with expanded product offerings to support customers across more markets.”


Pattern Energy doubled down on its Houston commercial space in 2023, moving the company's development, meteorological, transmission and energy trading teams to a new office in the Montrose Collective. The company's Operations Control Center is also based in Houston.

Its Houston-based development team was assigned to work on Pattern's SunZia Transmission and Wind project in New Mexico and Arizona, expected to be one of the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in U.S. The project is targeting commercial operations this year, according to Pattern Energy's website.

View All Listings