Week 1 - Energy chain Analysis for EV & ICEV

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) do not consume gasoline or produce tailpipe carbon emissions, placing the promise of an environmentally sustainable driving experience within reach of the average consumer.

The ultimate environmental and economic reality of electric vehicles is far more complicated than their promise. From an economic perspective, BEVs enjoy some distinct advantages. First, the electricity cost associated with operating a BEV over a distance of one mile is significantly lower than the gasoline cost required to operate a comparable ICEV over the same distance. Second, BEVs cost less to maintain, owing to the relative elegance and simplicity of a battery-electric motor system compared with the frequent maintenance required for operation of an internal combustion system.

The Wheel to Tank efficiency for EV highly depends on the choice of the type of Fossil Energy Power Station or Green Energy source. In the different literature sources the results hardly differ. The coal power plant has an efficiency of 39%. With integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) an efficiency of 44% to 55% is possible. In case of CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) a loss of efficiency of 8% is expected.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been heralded as a promising potential long-term solutions to sustainable personal mobility. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs), in particular, offer zero Tank-to Wheels , i.e. tailpipe emissions, but their true ability to contribute to GHG emissions reductions can only be properly assessed by comparing a life cycle (i.e., cradle-to-grave) assessment (LCA) of their GHG emissions with a similar assessment for conventional internal combustion vehicles (ICVs). There can be no unique or definitive comparison between BEVs and ICVs, because life cycle GHG emissions depend on the defined boundaries of the system under consideration and the intrinsic assumptions in the calculations.

References :

[1]H. Righolt and F. Rieck, "Energy chain and efficiency in urban traffic for ICE and EV", 2013 World Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition (EVS27), 2013. Available: 10.1109/evs.2013.6914820 [Accessed 12 October 2020].

[2]H. Ma, F. Balthasar, N. Tait, X. Riera-Palou and A. Harrison, "A new comparison between the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric vehicles and internal combustion vehicles", Energy Policy, vol. 44, pp. 160-173, 2012. Available: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.01.034 [Accessed 12 October 2020].

[3]G. Offer, D. Howey, M. Contestabile, R. Clague and N. Brandon, "Comparative analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system", Energy Policy, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 24-29, 2010. Available: 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.08.040 [Accessed 12 October 2020].