Enlarging the scale of BEVs through environmental zoning to reduce GHG emissions: A case study for the city of Hamburg

Electrified vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from personal transportation by shifting energy demand from gasoline to electricity. GHG reduction potential depends on vehicle design, adoption, driving and charging patterns, charging infrastructure, and electricity generation mix. We construct an optimization model to study these factors by determining optimal design of conventional vehicles (CVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), PHEVs, and BEVs and optimal allocation of vehicle designs and charging infrastructure in the fleet for minimum lifecycle GHG emissions over a range of scenarios. We focus on vehicles with similar size and acceleration to a Toyota Prius under urban EPA driving conditions. We find that under today’s U.S. average grid mix, the vehicle fleet allocated for minimum GHG emissions includes HEVs and PHEVs with ~30 miles (48 km) of electric range. Allocating only CVs, HEVs, PHEVs, or BEVs will produce 86%, 1%, 0%, or 13+% more life cycle GHG emissions, respectively. Unlike BEVs, PHEVs do consume some gasoline; however, PHEVs can power a large portion of vehicle miles on electrical energy while accommodating infrequent long trips without need for a large battery pack, with its corresponding production and weight implications. Availability of workplace charging for 90% of vehicles optimistically reduces optimized GHG emissions by 0.5%. Under decarbonized grid scenarios, larger battery packs are more competitive and reduce life cycle GHG emissions significantly. Future work will relax modeling assumptions and address life cycle cost and cost-effectiveness of GHG reductions.

Major US electric utility climate pledges have the potential to collectively reduce power sector emissions by one-third

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector is the goal of several current policies and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are seen as one option to achieve this goal. However, the introduction of BEVs in the fleet is gradual and their benefits will depend on how they compare with increasingly more energy-efficient internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). The aim of this article is to assess whether displacing ICEVs by BEVs in the Portuguese light-duty fleet is environmentally beneficial (focusing on GHG emissions), taking into account the dynamic behavior of the fleet. A dynamic fleet-based life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the Portuguese light-duty fleet was performed, addressing life-cycle (LC) GHG emissions through 2030 across different scenarios. A model was developed, integrating: (i) a vehicle stock sub-model of the Portuguese light-duty fleet; and (ii) dynamic LC sub-models of three vehicle technologies (gasoline ICEV, diesel ICEV and BEV). Two metrics were analyzed: (i) Total fleet LC GHG emissions (in Mton CO2 eq); and (ii) Fleet LC GHG emissions per kilometer (in g CO2 eq/km). A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the influence of different parameters in the results and ranking of scenarios. The model baseline projected a reduction of 30–39 % in the 2010–2030 fleet LC GHG emissions depending on the BEV fleet penetration rate and ICEV fuel consumption improvements. However, for BEV introduction in the fleet to be beneficial compared to an increasingly more efficient ICEV fleet, a high BEV market share and electricity emission factor similar or lower to the current mix (485 g CO2 eq/kWh) need to be realized; these conclusions hold for the different conditions analyzed. Results were also sensitive to parameters that affect the fleet composition, such as those that change the vehicle stock, the scrappage rate, and the activity level of the fleet (11–19 % variation in GHG emissions in 2030), which are seldom assessed in the LCA of vehicles. The influence of these parameters also varies over time, becoming more important as time passes. These effects can only be captured by assessing Total fleet GHG emissions over time as opposed to the GHG emissions per kilometer metric. These results emphasize the importance of taking into account the dynamic behavior of the fleet, technology improvements over time, and changes in vehicle operation and background processes during the vehicle service life when assessing the potential benefits of displacing ICEVs by BEVs.

Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions of electric versus combustion vehicles from 2018 to 2030 in the US

The economic and health impacts resulting from the greenhouse effect is a major concern in many countries. The transportation sector is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide. Almost 15 percent of the global GHG and over 20 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions are produced by the transportation sector. Quantifying GHG emissions from the road transport sector assists in assessing the existing vehicles’ energy consumptions and in proposing technological interventions for enhancing vehicle efficiency and reducing energy-supply greenhouse gas intensity. This paper aims to develop a model for the projection of GHG emissions from the road transport sector. We consider the Vehicle-Kilometre by Mode (VKM) to Number of Transportation Vehicles (NTV) ratio for the six different modes of transportation. These modes include motorcycles, passenger cars, tractors, single-unit trucks, buses and light trucks data from the North American Transportation Statistics (NATS) online database over a period of 22 years. We use multivariate regression and double exponential approaches to model the projection of GHG emissions. The results indicate that the VKM to NTV ratio for the different transportation modes has a significant effect on GHG emissions, with the coefficient of determination adjusted R2 and R2 values of 89.46% and 91.8%, respectively. This shows that VKM and NTV are the main factors influencing GHG emission growth. The developed model is used to examine various scenarios for introducing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles in the future. If there will be a switch to battery electric vehicles, a 62.2 % reduction in CO2 emissions would occur. The results of this paper will be useful in developing appropriate planning, policies, and strategies to reduce GHG emissions from the road transport sector.

Taking Stock of Strategies on Climate Change and the Way Forward: A Strategic Climate Change Framework for Australia

Decarbonizing transportation through electric vehicles: A life cycle perspective across China, Europe, and the USA.

Based on the localized data of environmental load, this study has establishedthe life cycle assessment (LCA) model of battery electric passenger vehicle(BEPV) that be produced and used in China, and has evaluated the energyconsumption and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission during vehicle pro-duction and operation. The results show that the total energy consumptionand GHG emissions are 438GJ and 37,100kg (in terms of CO2 equivalent)respectively. The share of GHG emissions in total emissions at the productionstage is 24.6%, and 75.4% GHG emissions are contributed by the operationalstage. The main source of energy consumption and GHG emissions at vehicleproduction stage is the extraction and processing of raw materials. TheGHG emissions of raw materials production accounts for 75.0% in the GHGemissions of vehicle production and 18.0% in the GHG emissions of fulllife cycle. The scenario analysis shows that the application of recyclablematerials, power grid GHG emission rates and vehicle energy consumption rates have significant influence on the carbon emissions in the life cycle ofvehicle. Replacing primary metals with recycled metals can reduce GHGemissions of vehicle production by about 7.3%, and total GHG emissionscan be reduced by about 1.8%. For every 1% decrease in GHG emissionsper unit of electricity, the GHG emissions of operation stage will decrease byabout 0.9%; for every 1.0% decrease in vehicle energy consumption rate, thetotal GHG emissions decrease by about 0.8%. Therefore, developing cleanenergy, reducing the proportion of coal power, optimizing the productionof raw materials and increasing the application of recyclable materials areeffective ways to improve the environmental performance of BEPV.

This paper explores opportunities for reductions in lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through adoption of electric drive vehicles (EDV), including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. EDVs have generally lower GHG emission rates during operation than similar-class conventional vehicles (CV). However, a key observation is that GHG reductions per mile are much larger during city driving conditions than on the highway. An examination of the estimated GHG emissions is conducted for city and highway driving conditions for several CV and EDV models based on testing results from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), then compared with key findings from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS 2009). Through an empirical analysis of actual driving patterns in the U.S., this study highlights potential missed opportunities to reduce transportation GHG emissions through the allocation of incentives and/or regulations. Key findings include the significant potential to reduce GHG emissions of taxis and delivery vehicles, as well as driving pattern-based incentives for individual vehicle owners.

Electrification can reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of light-duty vehicles. Previous studies have focused on comparing battery electric vehicle (BEV) sedans to their conventional internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) counterparts. We extend the analysis to different vehicle classes by conducting a cradle-to-grave life cycle GHG assessment of model year 2020 ICEV, HEV, and BEV sedans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and pickup trucks in the United States. We show that the proportional emissions benefit of electrification is approximately independent of vehicle class. For sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks we find HEVs and BEVs have approximately 28% and 64% lower cradle-to-grave life cycle emissions, respectively, than ICEVs in our base case model. This results in a lifetime BEV over ICEV GHG emissions benefit of approximately 45 tonnes CO2e for sedans, 56 tonnes CO2e for SUVs, and 74 tonnes CO2e for pickup trucks. The benefits of electrification remain significant with increased battery size, reduced BEV lifetime, and across a variety of drive cycles and decarbonization scenarios. However, there is substantial variation in emissions based on where and when a vehicle is charged and operated, due to the impact of ambient temperature on fuel economy and the spatiotemporal variability in grid carbon intensity across the United States. Regionally, BEV pickup GHG emissions are 13%–118% of their ICEV counterparts and 14%–134% of their HEV counterparts across U.S. counties. BEVs have lower GHG emissions than HEVs in 95%–96% of counties and lower GHG emissions than ICEVs in 98%–99% of counties. As consumers migrate from ICEVs and HEVs to BEVs, accounting for these spatiotemporal factors and the wide range of available vehicle classes is an important consideration for electric vehicle deployment, operation, policymaking, and planning.

Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric vehicles in countries dependent on the import of fuels through maritime transportation: A South Korean case study

Biofuel mandates can impact the environment in multiple ways that may be positive or negative, including affecting life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by displacing fossil fuels, affecting soil carbon stocks due to accompanying land use change, and water quality due to changes in fertilizer requirements and the mix of crops used as feedstocks. To achieve desired environmental outcomes in the presence of a biofuel mandate, additional policy instruments must be adopted to supplement the mandate. We develop an integrated and spatially explicit ecosystem-economic modeling framework to analyze the cost-effectiveness of alternative policies to achieve desired targets for GHG emissions reduction from the agricultural and fuel sectors in the USA and nitrate leaching reduction in the Gulf of Mexico below the levels that would be achieved by a corn ethanol and/or a cellulosic ethanol mandate in the USA. We find that while a corn ethanol mandate lowers GHG emissions, it increases nitrate leaching due to the expansion of corn production; a cellulosic ethanol mandate lowers both GHG emissions and nitrate leaching relative to a corn ethanol mandate, but the additional carbon and nitrate prices are needed to achieve anticipated GHG reduction and nitrate reduction targets. We also find that accompanying a biofuel mandate with a GHG reduction target alone leads to substantial nitrate reduction co-benefits, but a nitrate reduction target alone is less effective in reducing GHG emissions. Combining a GHG standard with a nitrate standard can achieve GHG and nitrate reduction targets at lower carbon and nitrate prices as compared to implementing each of these policies independently. Our findings show that disregarding policy co-benefits can overestimate the GHG and nitrate prices needed to achieve policy targets and higher policy costs.

Energy-related activities are a major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A growing body of knowledge clearly depicts the links between human activities and climate change. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil and other human activities has released carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other heat-trapping GHG emissions into the atmosphere and thus increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2 emissions. The main human activities that emit CO2 emissions are (1) the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, accounting for about 37% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 31% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, (2) the combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 26% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, and (3) industrial processes such as the production and consumption of minerals and chemicals, accounting for about 15% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 12% of total ...

There is an important debate about the appropriate policy measures for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector. Strong expansion of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) following a ban on the registration of new vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) by 2035 is a prominent but controversial proposal. To evaluate achievable GHG emission reductions, it is essential to understand the temporal dynamics of such a fleet transition. This study provides a time-resolved, policy-oriented quantification of annual and cumulative lifecycle GHG emissions during this process. Therefore, it uses an annual simulation model to assess GHG emissions from vehicle production and use during the transition of Germany’s passenger car fleet between 2019 and 2060. The analysis compares an ICE registration ban by 2035 with alternative scenarios and evaluates the effects of electricity decarbonization, greener BEV production, and the supply of additional Zero Emission Fuels (ZEFs). This study reveals a substantial time lag of 10–20 years between changes in new vehicle registrations and effective emission reductions. Even with a complete ICE ban by 2035, annual GHG emissions decline by only 3.7% by 2030 relative to 2025, while cumulative emissions over this period fall by just 1.6%. Larger reductions occur later, reaching 39% in 2040, 77% in 2050, and 82% in 2060 compared with 2025; cumulative emissions until 2060 decrease by 45%. Without an ICE ban and with a 75% BEV share from 2035 onward, cumulative reductions fall to 34%. Introducing additional ZEFs equivalent to 10% of 2030 fuel demand increases this value to 41%, compensating for much of the lower BEV uptake.

US marginal electricity grid mixes and EV greenhouse gas emissions