Complex Electromagnetic Issues Associated with the Use of Electric Vehicles in Urban Transportation

2022 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

← Research stream

UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 886

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typereview

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Complex Electromagnetic Issues Associated with the Use of Electric Vehicles in Urban Transportation Krzysztof Gryz, Jolanta Karpowicz, Patryk Zradziński. Complex Electromagnetic Issues Associated with the Use of Electric Vehicles in Urban Transportation. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Feb 22;22(5):1719. doi: 10.3390/s22051719. Abstract The electromagnetic field (EMF) in electric vehicles (EVs) affects not only drivers, but also passengers (using EVs daily) and electronic devices inside. This article summarizes the measurement methods applicable in studies of complex EMF in EVs focused on the evaluation of characteristics of such exposure to EVs users and drivers, together with the results of investigations into the static magnetic field (SMF), the extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF) and radiofrequency (RF) EMF related to the use of the EVs in urban transportation. The investigated EMF components comply separately with limits provided by international labor law and guidelines regarding the evaluation of human short-term exposure; however other issues need attention-electromagnetic immunity of electronic devices and long-term human exposure. The strongest EMF was found in the vicinity of direct current (DC) charging installations-SMF up to 0.2 mT and ELF magnetic field up to 100 µT-and inside the EVs-up to 30 µT close to its internal electrical equipment. Exposure to RF EMF inside the EVs (up to a few V/m) was found and recognized to be emitted from outdoor radio communications systems, together with emissions from sources used inside vehicles, such as passenger mobile communication handsets and antennas of Wi-Fi routers. Excerpts 4.5. Health Aspects of Exposure to EMF in EVs An EV driver’s long-lasting daily exposure to EMF, even if compliant with the exposure limits, cannot be counted to be negligible when the context of possible adverse health effects due to chronic exposure to EMF is considered. The ELF MF was classified to be a possible carcinogenic to human (2B classification) based on the epidemiologically proven elevated carcinogenic health risks in populations chronically exposed to MF exceeding 0.4 μT (attention level related to yearly averaged exposure) [38,39,40]. The level of ELF MF exposure reported in various studies focused on EMF in EVs and discussed in this article may significantly contribute to the total long- lasting exposure to drivers. The effects of EMF exposure induced in exposed objects are frequency-dependent, but the significant majority of studies performed so far in the area of EMF safety have referred to the populations exposed to high-voltage power lines (i.e., to chronic exposure to EMF of sinusoidal power frequency), and the outcome of such observations was a base for the abovementioned 2B classification for ELF MF exceeding 0.4 μT. Because of differences in the frequency patterns of the discussed exposures (near power lines and in EVs), there needs to be very careful analysis of how far the studied health and safety outcomes from ELF EMF exposures vary in such cases, and which exposure metrics are relevant to evaluate them. Consistently, the mentioned differences in frequency characteristics of ELF EMF in EVs and EMF near regular electric power installations also need attention with respect to the exposure evaluation protocol, which in practice means that studies of the parameters of EMF exposure associated with the use of EVs require not only measurements of the RMS value (which, in practice, is usually almost equal to the RMS value of the dominant frequency component of exposure), but also attention to the higher harmonics of this exposure, the components of fundamental frequencies other than 50 Hz, the parameters of transient EMF over rapid changes in the mode of EV driving, and combined exposure including the above mentioned components. Similar to ELF MF, RF EMF was classified by the IARC in the group of 2B carcinogenic environmental factors [41]. This component of driver EMF exposure also needs attention because of its level at least comparable to office exposure, where wireless radio communication facilities are in use and daily long-lasting exposure, potentially significantly contributing to total driver chronic exposure, combines with other components of lower frequencies (covering together exposure to: static, low frequency and radiofrequency fields). 5. Conclusions In every urban area, there is a daily mass of passengers traveling by public transportation. Ecological and economic reasons, as well as technological development, mean that a significant percentage of the population already use EVs (trams, metro, trolleys, buses) daily, seeing as they are an increasing majority of transportation resources in various large cities. During the journeys, passengers and drivers are exposed to a specific complex EMF, with a dominant ELF component emitted by the driving systems and their supply installations, and an RF component emitted by various wireless communications systems (e.g., Wi-Fi routers located often inside vehicles, handsets of mobile communications used by passengers, and mobile communication BTS located outside vehicles). Depending on the location of the electric equipment inside the EVs, a higher exposure to EMF may affect passengers, or in some cases drivers. Investigations into SMF, ELF and RF EMF emitted by various electrical equipment associated with the use of EV urban transportation showed that their levels, considered separately, comply with the limits provided by international labor law and guidelines aimed at protecting against the direct effects of short-term influence on humans of EMF of a particular frequency range (set up to prevent thermal load or electrical stimulation in exposed tissue) [12,13,17,20,21,22]. International guidelines and labor law do not provide rules on how to evaluate simultaneous exposure at various frequency ranges (e.g., SMF together with ELF and RF). This needs also specific attention, given that electronic devices and systems used inside EVs need to have sufficient electromagnetic immunity to ensure that their performance is not negatively affected by the impact from EMF emitted by the use of EVs. Considering the chronic nature of exposure to EMF in EVs (in particular with respect to potential exposure to drivers when various EMF sources are located near their cabins), and the potential specific risks from exposure to EMF of complex composition in time and frequency domains, there is a need to collect research data on the complex characteristics of EMF exposure related to the use of EVs in public transportation and the associated health outcome in chronically exposed workers, as well as decreasing the level of their exposure by applying relevant preventive measures (e.g., locating indoor Wi-Fi routers, and other such electrical equipment, away from the driver’s cabin) [17,23,42,43,44]. Open access paper: mdpi.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typereview

Effect directionunclear

PopulationEV drivers, passengers; chronically exposed workers (discussed)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · daily/long-lasting (chronic) exposure discussed; short-term limits referenced

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

This review summarizes measurement methods and reported results for SMF, ELF and RF EMF in electric vehicles and related infrastructure. Reported EMF components considered separately were stated to comply with international labor law and guideline limits for short-term exposure; the strongest fields were reported near DC charging installations (SMF up to 0.2 mT; ELF magnetic field up to 100 µT) and inside EVs (up to 30 µT near internal electrical equipment), with RF EMF inside EVs up to a few V/m attributed to wireless communications sources.

Outcomes measured

Measured/characterized exposure levels to SMF, ELF magnetic fields, and RF EMF in/around EVs and charging installations
Compliance with international labor law/guideline limits for short-term exposure (separately by frequency range)
Considerations regarding long-term (chronic) exposure and potential health risks (IARC Group 2B references for ELF MF and RF EMF)
Electromagnetic immunity/interference considerations for electronic devices inside EVs
Need for protocols addressing simultaneous multi-band exposure (SMF+ELF+RF) and non-50 Hz/harmonics/transients exposure metrics

Limitations

Review article; no primary study sample size reported in the provided text
Health implications are discussed largely in terms of classifications and need for further research rather than presenting direct health outcome data in EV users
Notes that existing guidelines/labor law do not address simultaneous exposure across frequency ranges (SMF+ELF+RF)
Highlights that EV exposure waveforms may differ from power-line exposures (harmonics, non-50 Hz components, transients), complicating metric selection and comparability

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "electric vehicles (urban transportation) and DC charging installations; in-vehicle electrical equipment; outdoor/indoor wireless sources (mobile handsets, Wi‑Fi routers, external BTS)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "daily/long-lasting (chronic) exposure discussed; short-term limits referenced"
  },
  "population": "EV drivers, passengers; chronically exposed workers (discussed)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Measured/characterized exposure levels to SMF, ELF magnetic fields, and RF EMF in/around EVs and charging installations",
    "Compliance with international labor law/guideline limits for short-term exposure (separately by frequency range)",
    "Considerations regarding long-term (chronic) exposure and potential health risks (IARC Group 2B references for ELF MF and RF EMF)",
    "Electromagnetic immunity/interference considerations for electronic devices inside EVs",
    "Need for protocols addressing simultaneous multi-band exposure (SMF+ELF+RF) and non-50 Hz/harmonics/transients exposure metrics"
  ],
  "main_findings": "This review summarizes measurement methods and reported results for SMF, ELF and RF EMF in electric vehicles and related infrastructure. Reported EMF components considered separately were stated to comply with international labor law and guideline limits for short-term exposure; the strongest fields were reported near DC charging installations (SMF up to 0.2 mT; ELF magnetic field up to 100 µT) and inside EVs (up to 30 µT near internal electrical equipment), with RF EMF inside EVs up to a few V/m attributed to wireless communications sources.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Review article; no primary study sample size reported in the provided text",
    "Health implications are discussed largely in terms of classifications and need for further research rather than presenting direct health outcome data in EV users",
    "Notes that existing guidelines/labor law do not address simultaneous exposure across frequency ranges (SMF+ELF+RF)",
    "Highlights that EV exposure waveforms may differ from power-line exposures (harmonics, non-50 Hz components, transients), complicating metric selection and comparability"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electric vehicles",
    "urban transportation",
    "electromagnetic field",
    "static magnetic field",
    "SMF",
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF",
    "radiofrequency",
    "RF",
    "DC charging",
    "exposure assessment",
    "measurement methods",
    "drivers",
    "passengers",
    "Wi-Fi",
    "mobile communications",
    "electromagnetic immunity"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.78,
      "reason": "Discusses long-lasting/chronic exposure of EV drivers and the need for research in chronically exposed workers, referencing labor law limits."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3390/s22051719
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library