Method for assessing the environmental benefit of road transport electrification and its influence on greenhouse gas inventories

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production 2019-05, Vol.218, p.476-485
• Main Author: Fernández, Roberto Álvarez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Battery electric vehicle; GHG inventories; Road transport emissions; Smart cities; Strategy
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.269

Cities worldwide are involved in a continuous process of improving both: their inevitable contribution to global warming and also the quality of the air that their citizens breathe. For this reason among others (noises, traffic congestion i.e.), the percentage of emissions caused by transport, that supposes adverse effects on human health and/or the environment, represents one of the greatest challenges facing the large cities in the world. In this sense, the rebirth of the electric powertrain seems to be a feasible solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and local pollutant concentration. But there exist some problems regarding battery electric vehicles, because the use of this type of motorization is inevitably linked to the upstream emissions caused by the generation of the energy needed to fill their batteries. These variations should be reflected on the greenhouse gas emissions inventories with a double purpose: design strategies and, once implemented, confirm the effectiveness and compliance of the improvements. In this work, it is analyzed the effect of the migration to road transport electrification on the abatement of emissions in the cities -and the role of the inventories-taking into account, among others, the influence of market evolution and political aspects. A new and easy to use indicator is created aiming to help the policymakers to shed light and see the adequacy and effectiveness of the strategies designed for the transition towards electromobility. [Display omitted] •Technological transition from combustion vehicles towards battery electric is analyzed.•An indicator for assessing transition environmental consequences is proposed.•A set of case studies for the city of Madrid is presented and analyzed.•Local emissions savings by using electric cars are evaluated and discussed.•Results confirm that BEVs themselves are not a suitable solution to mitigate GHGs.