The University of Leicester researchers have designed and installed special sensors into electric vehicles (EVs) that can measure pollutant concentrations around the city.
The information from these sensors will provide insight into the quality of the air people inhale in polluted urban areas, researchers said.
"Electric vehicles are part of the solution to urban air quality issues. A mobile air quality monitoring platform, such as a specially designed electric car, is highly valuable to the scientific study of urban air quality," Dr Roland Leigh from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Leicester, who is leading the project, said.
Zero emission vehicles such as electric cars are vital in measuring the quality of air in urban environments, as they do not add further emissions of nitrogen dioxide and other key pollutants, which will allow for a more accurate reading of gathered data, said Leigh.
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"It is important that we establish how polluted our cities are based on current transportation methods and develop new ways in which we can travel to enable more sustainable cities in the future," Leigh said.
"We have no doubt the results of this project will add to the public understanding of air pollution and further encourage the adoption of zero emissions vehicles," said Evans.