Do Electric Vehicles Really Reduce GHG Emissions in Thailand?

Abstract

Transport sector is the highest energy consuming sector. It has consumed more than 35 percent of total energy consumption in Thailand, and accounted for about 27 percent of Thailand’s GHG emissions. Nowadays, many policies and strategies are promoted and supported in order to reduce the energy consumption as well as the emissions in all entire sectors, especially the transport and industrial sectors. In the transport sector, regarding to the Energy Efficiency Plan (EEP) 2015, both energy efficiency improvement and advanced transport technology have been implemented such as improving fuel economy of gasoline and diesel engines as well as increasing share of electric vehicles. In fact, per energy efficiency of the engine, even if EVs consume less energy than the conventional gasoline and diesel engines, EVs emit no tailpipe pollutants however the power plants which generate electricity to power EVs still emits GHG except electricity from alternative energy sources such as nuclear, biomass, hydro, solar, and wind. This study aims to investigate the influence of EVs implementation on changes of GHG emissions in the transport sector related to the power generation in Thailand during the period of 2015 to 2036. Moreover, optional area to achieve target of EVs implementation as EEP2015 with environmental recovery aspects is proposed. The results indicate that even EVs could reduce energy consumption in the transport sector, it would effect on increasing GHG emissions in the power sector. Therefore, the policy makers or related organizations should take this consequence into the consideration under the implementation of energy related environmental policy for making the most benefits of both sides.