Electric Cars as a Means to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methods, Results and Policy Implications in Germany

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Department of Economics Working Paper No. 21/WP/2012

19 Pages Posted: 3 Oct 2012

See all articles by Jérôme Massiani

Jérôme Massiani

Università Milano Bicocca

Jens Weinmann

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: August 1, 2012

Abstract

Electric vehicles are usually perceived by policy makers and the general public as an attractive means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper we provide a rigorous assessment of the emissions resulting from the diffusion of electric vehicles. We make use of EMOB, a comprehensive model that provides a forecast and evaluation of alternative fuel vehicles diffusion in Germany in the next decades. As far as computation of emissions is concerned, our method differs from existing one by a 'pivotal marginal' or 'hourly marginal' emission computation that takes into account the predicted long-term time pattern of EV reloading. We obtain non-tailpipe emissions of around 75 g/km in 2020. Additionally, our findings cast serious doubts on the general claim that electric cars could be fed in with renewable energy in general, and with fluctuating excess supply of renewables (wind, solar) in particular.

Keywords: electric vehicles, CO2 emissions, generation portfolio, non tail-pipe emission

Suggested Citation

Massiani, Jérôme and Weinmann, Jens, Electric Cars as a Means to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methods, Results and Policy Implications in Germany (August 1, 2012). Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Department of Economics Working Paper No. 21/WP/2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2156177 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2156177

Jérôme Massiani (Contact Author)

Università Milano Bicocca ( email )

Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1
Milan, 20126
Italy

Jens Weinmann

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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