Energy and Environmental Implications of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in China

Abstract

Abstract:The promotion of hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) has been proposed as one promising solution for reducing transport energy consumption and mitigating vehicular emissions in China. In this study, the energy and environmental impacts of hybrid and EVs during 2010-2020 were evaluated through an energy conversion analysis and a life cycle assessment (LCA), and the per-kilometer energy consumptions of gasoline, coal, natural gas (NG), oil, biomass, garbage and electricity for EVs and HEVs were estimated. Results show that the EVs and HEVs can reduce the energy consumption of vehicles by national average ratios of 17%-19% and 30%-33%, respectively. The study also calculated the detailed emission factors of SO 2 , NO X , VOC, CO, NH 3 , PM 10 , PM 2.5 , OC, EC, CO 2 , N 2 O, CH 4 , Pb and Hg. It is indicated that the HEVs can bring significant reductions of NO X , VOC and CO emissions and lesser decreases of SO 2 and CO 2 for a single vehicle. The EVs could decrease many of the VOC, NH 3 , CO and CO 2 emissions, but increase the SO 2 , NO X and particles by 10.8-13.0, 2.7-2.9 and 3.6-11.5 times, respectively. In addition, the electricity sources had significant influence on energy consumption (EC) and emissions. A high proportion of coal-fired energy resulted in large ECs and emission factors. The total energy consumption and pollutants emission changes in 2015 and 2020 were also calculated. Based on the energy use and emission analysis of HEVs and EVs, it is suggested that EVs should be promoted in the regions with higher proportions of OPEN ACCESSEnergies 2013, 6 2664 hydropower, natural gas-fired power and clean energy power, while HEVs can be widely adopted in the regions with high coal-fired power ratios. This is to achieve a higher energy consumption reduction and pollutant emission mitigation. Moreover, the results can also provide scientific support for the total amount control of regional air pollutants in China.

Vehicle Ownership Analysis Based on GDP per Capita in China: 1963–2050

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Electric Vehicle Market Penetration and Impacts on Energy Consumption and CO2 Emission in the Future: Beijing Case

“…According to Lang's research, energy consumption at the fuel use phase accounts for more than 72% of the total life cycle energy consumption of EV in China [13]. Through estimating the change in fuel use, the evolution of energy consumption due to technology turnover can be studied.…”

The Influence of Slight Protuberances in a Micro-Tube Reactor on Methane/Moist Air Catalytic Combustion

“…Moreover, natural gas is an attractive alternative fossil fuel which could reduce pollutant emissions and lower the energy dependence on fossil oil [14,15,22]. However, methane is considered the most stable hydrocarbon and is difficult oxidize, and its catalytic ignition requires relatively high temperatures even on expensive Pt-or Pd-based catalysts [23][24][25][26][27].…”

“…In the field of micro-scale catalytic combustion for energy production [13][14][15], most researchers focus on the use of natural gas, methane, as the main component [16][17][18], which is regarded as a clean, renewable and universal fuel [19][20][21]. Moreover, natural gas is an attractive alternative fossil fuel which could reduce pollutant emissions and lower the energy dependence on fossil oil [14,15,22].…”