Electric Mobility in Cities: The Case of Vienna

Amela Ajanovic,Marina Siebenhofer,Reinhard Haas

doi:10.3390/en14010217

Abstract

Environmental problems such as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are especially challenging in urban areas. Electric mobility in different forms may be a solution. While in recent years a major focus was put on private electric vehicles, e-mobility in public transport is already a very well-established and mature technology with a long history. The core objective of this paper is to analyze the economics of e-mobility in the Austrian capital of Vienna and the corresponding impact on the environment. In this paper, the historical developments, policy framework and scenarios for the future development of mobility in Vienna up to 2030 are presented. A major result shows that in an ambitious scenario for the deployment of battery electric vehicles, the total energy demand in road transport can be reduced by about 60% in 2030 compared to 2018. The major conclusion is that the policies, especially subsidies and emission-free zones will have the largest impact on the future development of private and public e-mobility in Vienna. Regarding the environmental performance, the most important is to ensure that a very high share of electricity used for electric mobility is generated from renewable energy sources.

Highlights

Cities generate about 80% of the GDP, consume about 75% of global primary energy, and cause more than 70% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions [1]
In Europe, the majority of citizens live in urban areas, and for their daily life, they require some kind of private or public mobility
Urban mobility is an important facilitator for economic growth, employment and development

Summary

Introduction

Cities generate about 80% of the GDP, consume about 75% of global primary energy, and cause more than 70% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions [1]. The number of the urban population is rapidly increasing worldwide, from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. In the EU, urban mobility already accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions of road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants from transport [3]. Problems such as congestion and pollution are becoming more and more evident, especially in larger cities. Vienna is a city with a continuously growing population and an increasing demand for energy services, including mobility. In 2018, the total final energy consumption was about 14 TWh, with only a small amount, 644.3 GWh, covered by electrical energy. The highest energy consumption was reached in 2005 with about 15 TWh

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