Heterogeneity in Economic and Carbon Benefits of Electric Technology Vehicles in the US

Desai, Ranjit R.; Chen, Roger B.; Hittinger, Eric; Williams, Eric

doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b02874

Cited by 25Electric Vehicles and InfrastructureEnergy, Environment, and Transportation PoliciesVehicle emissions and performance

Heterogeneity in Economic and Carbon Benefits of Electric Technology Vehicles in the US

Desai, Ranjit R., Chen, Roger B., Hittinger, Eric, Williams, Eric·2020·Environmental Science & Technology

DOI 10.1021/acs.est.9b02874

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Abstract

To broadly contribute to sustainable mobility, electric technology vehicles (hybrid, electric, and plug-in-hybrid) must become more price competitive with internal combustion vehicles. This study assesses the economic and carbon benefits of electric technology vehicles in the U.S., accounting for household-by-household behavioral variability and geographical differences in fuel and electricity prices. This finer resolution provides insight into subsets of the population for whom adoption is economically or environmentally favorable, allowing us to construct marginal abatement cost curves for CO 2 that account for geographic, behavioral, and stock heterogeneities. Currently, low gasoline prices and high initial expense means that, without subsidies, few consumers benefit financially from electric technology vehicles (1.7% of drivers). However, improved technology dramatically and nonlinearly increases both the number of consumers that benefit and corresponding carbon emissions that could be abated without government subsidy. Our results clarify cost targets that electric vehicle technology must achieve in order to deliver net financial and subsidy-free environmental benefits.

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The simplified break-even calculation underscores the importance of the battery's carbon footprint but does not account for the multitude of other parameters that influence real-world lifetime CO2 emissions.
“Notably, this simplified calculation underscores the importance of the battery’s CF but does not account for the multitude of other parameters36–38 that influence the real-world lifetime CO2 emissions of thermal and EVs.”
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Authors: Desai, R. R., Chen, R. B., Hittinger, E., & Williams, E.
Affiliations: Rochester Institute of Technology (US)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
Corresponding author: Desai, Ranjit R.
ORCID: Desai, Ranjit R.
Chen, Roger B.
Hittinger, Eric
Williams, Eric
Venue: Environmental Science & Technology
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Published: 2019-11-13
Volume: 54
Issue: 2
Pages: 1136-1146
ISSN: 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
1520-5851
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b02874
OpenAlex: W2987148205
Cited by: 25
References: 61
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 6
FWCI: 1.08
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-045 (stm-asf)
Locations: Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Science Foundation (1605319)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure
Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Vehicle emissions and performance
Keywords: electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, vehicle adoption, gasoline prices, electricity prices, marginal abatement cost curves, CO2 abatement, electric vehicle subsidies, sustainable transport, United States
MeSH terms: Vehicle Emissions, Carbon, Electricity, Gasoline, Motor Vehicles

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Heterogeneity in Economic and Carbon Benefits of Electric Technology Vehicles in the US

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