Electric Light-Duty Vehicles have Decarbonization Potential but May Not Reduce Other Environmental Problems

Electric vehicles are promoted as ‘clean’ technologies and offer promising reductions in transportation emissions. Nevertheless, their environmental benefits critically depend on the local electricity grid mix and the type of emission being considered. Here, we conduct a comparative life cycle assessment of the four dominant light-duty vehicle categories at both the global scale and in three representative countries: Norway, the US, and China. By analyzing different environmental indicators, particularly global warming potential and respiratory effects, and quantifying related parametric uncertainties, we reveal that the advantages of electric vehicles vary across these regions and across environmental impact types. While electric vehicles …

Forecasting a Realistic Electricity Infrastructure Buildout for Medium- & Heavy-Duty Battery Electric Vehicles

Numerous new pressures are being placed on the trucking industry. States and the federal government are examining regulations to quickly transition the industry by 2040 to full electrification with the goal to reduce commercial vehicle carbon emissions. The Clean Freight Coalition contracted a study with Roland Berger to determine the added costs to the freight industry and utilities if commercial vehicles reach 100% electrification. This study examined two scenarios- one with current vehicle and charging technology offerings, and the other with modest improvement in both vehicles and chargers- to determine the realistic electricity infrastructure buildout scenario for medium- and heavy-duty …

Adoption of Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Local Fuel Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Across the U.S.

The dependence on gasoline-powered light-duty automobiles has made U.S. households vulnerable to the burden of fuel costs. Tailpipe emissions from these vehicles constitute 58% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S., which are damaging to the environment (EPA, 2023). The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has been shown to effectively reduce fuel costs and GHG emissions. However, local effects on these benefits are not well understood by American consumers, potentially limiting adoption and therefore the realization of PEV benefits at scale (MacInnis & Krosnick, 2020; EY Americas, 2023). To fill this research gap, this study estimates the fuel …

Capacity of Colombia’s Power Distribution Networks to Accommodate Electric Vehicles

Transport must be decarbonized if climate commitments are to be met. Colombia is a leader in the adoption of electric vehicles in Latin America. However, the growth of the EV market can create operational and planning challenges for the power grid. Fortunately, recent analyses show that Colombia’s distribution grids have the capacity to accommodate the increased power demand created by electric vehicles in the short and medium terms, paving the way for achievement of climate targets. The results of simulations suggest that network operators can plan effectively for the future by considering the growing penetration of EVs in the design …

How to Talk About Electric Vehicles

For most Americans, the mention of EVs conjures images of protected forests, composting, recycling, maybe a few affluent families who can afford to upgrade to a Tesla.
That’s a huge problem. These associations have allowed the far right to seize on EVs as a symbol for out-of-touch liberals trying to force a political agenda on working class families. They’ve become a cultural issue. And by continuing to present the benefits of EVs as exclusively environmental, the left is feeding that argument.…

The Electrification Era I Scaling Up Electric Vehicles

As more renewable energy sources are used, power systems must become more flexible and adjustable to balance supply with demand. To achieve this, services are required that span from fractions of a second to seasonal time scales. Solar and wind power will become increasingly critical, but their intermittent nature will result in nearly twice the annual variability in residual demand compared to today. EVs have the potential to provide grid-connected storage and in doing so revolutionise the way we use and manage energy.

In this white paper we examine the concepts of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the landscape …

The Electrification Era I Scaling Up Electric Vehicles

EV fleets are expanding at a fast pace in several of the world’s largest markets. This is being driven by governments and automakers who are promoting electricity powered vehicles as a key technology to curb oil use, fight climate change and air pollution.

As more renewable energy sources are used, power systems must become more flexible and adjustable to balance supply with demand. To achieve this, services have required that span from fractions of a second to seasonal time scales. Solar and wind power will become increasingly critical, but their intermittent nature will result in nearly twice the annual variability …

Sustainable Behaviour at Work: How Message Framing Encourages Employees to Choose Electric Vehicles

This paper explores the application of message framing as a management practice to promote change in employee behaviour for corporate sustainability. We conduct a field experiment in a German automotive company to test the effects of three different frames (emotional, normative and gain) on pro-environmental actions in relation to electric vehicle choices of 170 employees. The frames are applied via two communication channels: first, via emails to remind employees about ordering a new car and second, via pop-up notifications appearing in the online system where employees complete their orders. We find that the interventions applied in emails, but not in …

Grid Integration of Electric Vehicles

This policy makers manual is prepared under the framework of the Global Environment Facility programme aimed at supporting low- and middle-income economies in their transition to electric mobility. It aims to serve as a guide for policy makers to effectively integrate electric vehicle charging into the grid, thereby supporting road transport electrification and decarbonisation.

The key steps can be summarised as preparing institutions for the shift to electric mobility, assessing the impacts on the grid, deploying measures for grid integration and improving power system planning. Each of these steps is informed by insights from various studies and inputs from international …

Electric Vehicles: Policies to Help America Lead

The US has broad-based potential to build a competitive advantage in electric vehicle manufacturing and in other value chain segments in the EV industry. Doing so would enable US automakers and suppliers to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and create tens of trillions of dollars in market value through mid-century. Recent legislation, including the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, have created important programs such as tax credits and manufacturing grants that will accelerate the EV transition and help to secure US leadership.

But to build a lasting competitive edge, more policy tools need to be deployed. …