Abstract
SummaryElectric vehicles (EVs) are currently being promoted to reduce transport emissions. We present a life cycle assessment of EV charging behaviors based on marginal emissions factors. For Great Britain, we find that electricity consumption accounts for the highest proportion of life cycle carbon emissions from EVs. We highlight the potential life cycle carbon emissions reduction brought by charging during periods when the grid mix produces relatively low emissions. While our study focuses on Great Britain, we have applied our methodology to several European countries with contrasting electricity generation mixes. Our analysis demonstrates that countries with a high proportion of fossil energy will have reduced benefits from deploying EVs, but are likely to achieve increased benefits from smart charging approaches. We conclude that using marginal emissions factors is essential to understanding the greenhouse gas impacts of EV deployment, and that smart charging tied to instantaneous grid emissions factors can bring benefits.
Highlights
Electric vehicles (EVs) are set to gradually replace internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) as the main technology for personal transportation (OLEV, Office for Low Emission Vehicles, 2017)
We highlight the potential life cycle carbon emissions reduction brought by charging during periods when the grid mix produces relatively low emissions
Baseline life cycle carbon emission analysis using average emissions factors To provide background, and give a baseline against which to demonstrate the importance of using MEFs to analyse charging emissions, we present a simple analysis of the life cycle carbon emissions associated with EV charging in British households for 2019
Summary
Electric vehicles (EVs) are set to gradually replace internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) as the main technology for personal transportation (OLEV, Office for Low Emission Vehicles, 2017). This transformation is intended to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly over vehicle lifetimes, supporting netzero targets (BEIS, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, 2019b). We supplement our approach with a specific cluster analysis of EV domestic charging behavior, accounting for charging time, plug-in duration, and energy demand. This cluster analysis builds on concepts from charging behavior modeling efforts As electricity generation mixes vary considerably between different countries, we present comparative research for Poland, Ireland, and Spain, demonstrating how the methodology can be applied in different national contexts
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