Energy consumptions and CO2 emissions of different powertrains under real-world driving with various route characteristics

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are broadly admired as an encouraging solution to decarbonize and relieve air pollution in metropolitan transportation. However, each powertrain gives different benefits depending on the actual usage context. This study investigates the energy consumption of various EVs compared to a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. The considered EVs include a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), and battery electric vehicle (BEV). Different road characteristics in the biggest city of northern Thailand are tested as driving route modes, i.e., city, rural, and hill modes, to study the energy consumption of the powertrains under real-world driving scenarios. Additionally, the efficiency of the CO2 emission reduction of each powertrain, analyzed from the energy consumption, is presented through the Well-to-Wheel (WtW) basis. The results show that the BEV performs well with all route characteristics, while both hybrids are appropriate in different driving scenarios. On average, of all the route modes, the WtW CO2 emission of the HEV, PHEV, and BEV is about 65%, 50%, and 35%, respectively, compared to the ICE. The BEV only has WtT CO2 emission from its electricity source. Therefore, it can yield low emissions if renewable energy, such as solar or wind energy, is used as its electricity source instead of fossil fuels.