Implication viability assessment of shift to electric vehicles for present power generation scenario of India

Abstract

The rapid increase in population and urbanization has led to an enormous increase in the overall vehicular demand. In India, most vehicles run on conventional fuels producing harmful gases and particulate matter, causing an adverse effect on the human health & environment. Most urban cities in India are witnessing a rapid increase in the level of urban air pollution, which can be largely attributed to the continuous surge in the number of on-road vehicles. According to a KPMG report, it is estimated that by 2030 there will be a 100% incremental adoption of electric vehicles which will lead to the minimization of the pollution level generated from the conventional cars. However, in India, 57.3% of electricity is produced through coal thermal power plant. It cannot be denied that coal leaves behind harmful by-products upon combustion. The emissions from the coal power plants in India increased from 901.7 g CO2/kWh in 2005 to 926 g CO2/kWh in 2012. This is much higher than global averages in the same period, which were 542 g and 533 g CO2/kWh, respectively. The increase in the number of electric vehicles is likely to increase the demand for electricity, which may result in a rise in emissions from thermal power plants, thus offsetting the reductions in tailpipe emissions. This study deals with assessing the impact of shifting the fleet from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to electric vehicles (EV) on power generation sources, i.e., coal power plants, and its impact on the environment in India. The implication viability of electric vehicle over internal combustion engine vehicle has been assessed with exergy analysis, taking into account the total emissions involved from well to wheel. In the current power generation scenario of India, a comparative analysis of direct and indirect emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles (powered with coal power generation) shows that electric vehicles emit less CO2 and CO, whereas SO2 and Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emisions (indirectly from the thermal power plant), are higher.