Minimum environmental footprint charging of electric vehicles: A spatiotemporal scenario analysis

Abstract

Electrification of mobility can be an effective solution to reduce the environmental burden of the transportation sector. Previous research has frequently used theoretical assumptions and has not always adequately analysed spatiotemporal heterogeneity (charging location and timing) of the power generation in electric vehicle charging events. The environmental sustainability of electric vehicles has still considerable room for further improvement. This study aims to identify the time series greenhouse gas emission pattern of power generation and assess the potential emission reduction by altering the charging behaviour. The assessed environmental performance results of hourly power generation, using the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden as different power generation sources examples, draw several insights that could support the development of smart and more environmentally friendly charging. Among multiple identified spatiotemporal patterns, the greenhouse gas emissions (kg/MWh) during the weekend are significantly lower than working days for the Czech Republic (9 % lower) and Germany (19 % lower), while in Sweden being consistent throughout the week. A case study with four scenarios was conducted under different timings, routes (departure and destination), and real-world constraints. In general, under all the assessed scenarios, electric vehicles on the user phase have a lower greenhouse gas footprint than internal combustion engine vehicles. A greenhouse gas saving range from 3.6–32 %, compared to the baseline scenario (usual charging behaviour), could be achieved by changing the charging behaviour of the users from different assessed countries via targeting the time interval with lower greenhouse gas performance. This work has in view to facilitate electric vehicles development in reaching full potential contributions to sustainability.