No abstract

Due to the pressing environmental problems coming from the transport sector, interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has increased significantly over the last decade. Although different types of EVs are available on the market, the largest contribution to the reduction of environmental problems could be made through zero‐emission vehicles, such as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Each of these vehicles has some advantages and disadvantages. The problem they share is the high purchase price in comparison to conventional gasoline vehicles. Through the improvement of battery performance, further technological learning and a mix of different direct and indirect supporting policy measures, the competiveness of EVs could be significantly improved. EVs could already contribute to the reduction of emissions today, however the full environmental benefit of BEVs and FCVs is related to the mix of the primary energy sources used for electricity generation and hydrogen production. The increasing use of renewable energy sources in electricity generation makes EVs more environmentally friendly. Since total emissions are also dependent on the embedded emissions of cars, their lifetime as well as their usage (specific vehicle kilometers driven per year) have significant impacts on the total emissions per km driven.

No abstract

No abstract

In recent years, about a century after reaching their first prime in the early 1900s, electric vehicles (EVs) have received growing attention again. Politicians in various countries have recognized EVs as a promising technological alternative to fossil fuel driven cars in combating global warming. However, for a broader market penetration considerable barriers have to be removed. The most important are high investment costs and low driving ranges, both caused by the major weakness of EVs—their battery. The core objective of this article is to investigate the future market prospects of various types of EVs, with the economics of EVs in comparison to conventional cars playing a key role. Only if the final driving costs can be considerably reduced will EVs gain significant market shares. In addition to this also the environmental aspects are very important because they are a major motivation in supporting and promotion of EVs. However, the policies and measures implemented vary between countries, meaning there is huge potential for an exchange of lessons learned. The major conclusion of this article is that future prospects of EVs are only bright if the costs of batteries can be brought down through technological learning and if improved storage can lead to higher driving ranges. However, to harvest the full environmental benefits of EVs the electricity for EVs must be generated from renewable energy sources. WIREs Energy Environ 2015, 4:521–536. doi: 10.1002/wene.160 This article is categorized under: Energy Systems Economics > Economics and Policy Energy and Development > Economics and Policy

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract