Are there more to electric cars than meets the eye?
By Emily Yen
Intermediate Category (Grades 9-10)
Experiment | Energy and Natural Resources, Engineering and Computer Science
I tested two brands of electric cars to see if they would emit an overall stronger electromagnetic field compared to a gas-powered car due to the massive battery that electric cars run on.
To test this, I purchased a meter that can measure the strength and intensity of the magnetic field, electric field, and radio-frequency waves. What I found was that while the electric cars both had a stronger radiofrequency, oddly enough the gas-powered car had a stronger magnetic and electric field. Another strange observation I made about my data was that the Tesla Model 3 Plus had a much higher radiofrequency compared to the Nissan EV despite them both being electric cars. This led me to wonder if the batteries in these cars are the main source of EMF emissions in the vehicles or if the technology we install in them come into play as well. To test that I tested other pieces of technology such as cell phones and wireless earbuds.
My conclusion is that the Bluetooth and cellular data using technology we keep putting into our cars and other aspects of our daily lives are the main causes of unsafe levels of electromagnetic field energy. In terms of the electric cars, the batteries in the cars are not a hazard to passengers.
