Comparative assessment of competitiveness and external costs of electric car and car with internal combustion engine (on the example of Moscow)

Abstract

Aim. To carry out a comparative evaluation of the competitiveness of electric car and car with internal combustion engine (ICE) of the middle price segment and their external costs on the example of Moscow.Tasks. To describe the methodology and estimate the total cost of ownership of an electric car “Moskvich 3e” and its gasoline counterpart “Moskvich 3”; calculate the external costs of an electric car and a gasoline-powered car related to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants; estimate the total cost for society.Methods. In order to compare the competitiveness of cars with different types of engines, the method of total cost of ownership was used; in the aspect of obtaining the total cost for society by economic evaluation of emissions, the external costs associated with climate change and air pollution were calculated.Results. Currently, the total cost of five-year ownership of electric car “Moskvich 3e” is higher in comparison with the car “Moskvich 3” practically by 461 thousand rubles, even taking into account the existing support measures in Moscow. The difference in external costs due to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants is about 68.3 thousand rubles. The electric car is more environmentally friendly and contributes less to climate change. The difference in the total cost of five-year ownership of an electric car “Moskvich 3e” and its gasoline analogue, taking into account the external costs (total cost for society) is 392 thousand rubles. This means that the internalization of external costs may slightly increase the competitiveness of the electric car.Conclusions. The study will allow potential buyers to assess the real affordability of vehicles of interest to them, in particular vehicles “Moskvich 3” and “Moskvich 3e”. The obtained results may serve as a basis for further development of support measures for electric motor vehicles in Moscow, for example, when calculating the amount of subsidy necessary to ensure the competitiveness of electric cars of the medium price segment.