Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Air Quality
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California and the United Kingdom, whereas the ICE had the lowest TCO
in Texas and Japan (Palmer et al., 2018). Again, though, this is based on specific models: The Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, Toyota Plug- in Hybrid Prius,
Toyota Corolla, and Ford Focus Diesel (UK only) were compared. Looking at
some specific locations helps us to understand this situation. In places where
gasoline costs are lower (e.g. Texas), the PHEV had the lowest energy cost.
However, in the United Kingdom, where petroleum costs are higher, the BEV
had the lowest energy cost. PHEVs also did well in California, where there
are incentives to purchase electric vehicles.
In this same comparison of vehicles, the maintenance costs were lowest
for the BEVs across all cases (Palmer et al., 2018). The reason for this is very
straightforward: A BEV has drastically fewer parts in its drive train. That
means fewer things to maintain and fewer things that can break, that need
replacement, or that can require adjustment. The maintenance costs of BEVs
are actually so low that there has been some concern about the second- order
effects for dealerships, repair shops, and auto parts retailers. As EVs become
a larger share of the car population, these parts of the automotive infrastructure may contract.
Another, more extensive type of comparison is called a life cycle analysis,
in which factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and emissions that impact
air quality are included. A life cycle analysis has been used to compare
values of TCO for an ICE, a HEV, and a BEV (Mitrospoulos, et al., 2017). In
this study, the HEV had the lowest TCO. The environmental costs that were
included were less than 10% of the TCO.
It is safe to say that these types of comparisons will continue to shift in
favor of BEVs in the future. The cost of batteries is decreasing, making BEVs
more competitive. At the same time, the price of petroleum, which varies
significantly across locations, is generally increasing over time because the
supply is finite. The price of electricity has been nearly constant during the
last ten years in many locations, and prices have been falling for electricity
generated by wind and solar energy. Thus, over the next 20 years, there is
a good likelihood that the TCO for BEVs will decrease when adjusted for
inflation.
An additional benefit of EVs is their ability to convert potential and kinetic energy into electrical energy by generating electricity during braking (i.e.
regenerative braking). The potential energy of a vehicle at higher elevations
can be converted to electrical energy as it comes down a mountain or hill. In
regenerative braking, the motor acts as a generator and produces electricity,
and that generated energy is stored in the battery, where it can be used later
to power the EV. The efficiency of regenerative braking has been estimated to
be about 22% in Rotterdam driving (Van Sterkenburg et al., 2011). In mountain driving, it is possible to add several kWh of energy to the battery going
down a mountain in a plug- in hybrid Toyota Prius. The conversion efficiency
of potential energy to electrical energy appears to be significantly more than
22% when this is done at a slow speed (Erickson, 2018). When one reviews the
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42
California and the United Kingdom, whereas the ICE had the lowest TCO
in Texas and Japan (Palmer et al., 2018). Again, though, this is based on specific models: The Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, Toyota Plug- in Hybrid Prius,
Toyota Corolla, and Ford Focus Diesel (UK only) were compared. Looking at
some specific locations helps us to understand this situation. In places where
gasoline costs are lower (e.g. Texas), the PHEV had the lowest energy cost.
However, in the United Kingdom, where petroleum costs are higher, the BEV
had the lowest energy cost. PHEVs also did well in California, where there
are incentives to purchase electric vehicles.
In this same comparison of vehicles, the maintenance costs were lowest
for the BEVs across all cases (Palmer et al., 2018). The reason for this is very
straightforward: A BEV has drastically fewer parts in its drive train. That
means fewer things to maintain and fewer things that can break, that need
replacement, or that can require adjustment. The maintenance costs of BEVs
are actually so low that there has been some concern about the second- order
effects for dealerships, repair shops, and auto parts retailers. As EVs become
a larger share of the car population, these parts of the automotive infrastructure may contract.
Another, more extensive type of comparison is called a life cycle analysis,
in which factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and emissions that impact
air quality are included. A life cycle analysis has been used to compare
values of TCO for an ICE, a HEV, and a BEV (Mitrospoulos, et al., 2017). In
this study, the HEV had the lowest TCO. The environmental costs that were
included were less than 10% of the TCO.
It is safe to say that these types of comparisons will continue to shift in
favor of BEVs in the future. The cost of batteries is decreasing, making BEVs
more competitive. At the same time, the price of petroleum, which varies
significantly across locations, is generally increasing over time because the
supply is finite. The price of electricity has been nearly constant during the
last ten years in many locations, and prices have been falling for electricity
generated by wind and solar energy. Thus, over the next 20 years, there is
a good likelihood that the TCO for BEVs will decrease when adjusted for
inflation.
An additional benefit of EVs is their ability to convert potential and kinetic energy into electrical energy by generating electricity during braking (i.e.
regenerative braking). The potential energy of a vehicle at higher elevations
can be converted to electrical energy as it comes down a mountain or hill. In
regenerative braking, the motor acts as a generator and produces electricity,
and that generated energy is stored in the battery, where it can be used later
to power the EV. The efficiency of regenerative braking has been estimated to
be about 22% in Rotterdam driving (Van Sterkenburg et al., 2011). In mountain driving, it is possible to add several kWh of energy to the battery going
down a mountain in a plug- in hybrid Toyota Prius. The conversion efficiency
of potential energy to electrical energy appears to be significantly more than
22% when this is done at a slow speed (Erickson, 2018). When one reviews the