IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v37y2009i7p2653-2663.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of battery weight and charging patterns on the economic and environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid vehicles

Author

Listed:
  • Shiau, Ching-Shin Norman
  • Samaras, Constantine
  • Hauffe, Richard
  • Michalek, Jeremy J.

Abstract

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology is receiving attention as an approach to reducing US dependency on foreign oil and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. PHEVs require large batteries for energy storage, which affect vehicle cost, weight, and performance. We construct PHEV simulation models to account for the effects of additional batteries on fuel consumption, cost, and GHG emissions over a range of charging frequencies (distance traveled between charges). We find that when charged frequently, every 20Â miles or less, using average US electricity, small-capacity PHEVs are less expensive and release fewer GHGs than hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or conventional vehicles. For moderate charging intervals of 20-100Â miles, PHEVs release fewer GHGs, but HEVs have lower lifetime costs. High fuel prices, low-cost batteries, or high carbon taxes combined with low-carbon electricity generation would make small-capacity PHEVs cost competitive for a wide range of drivers. In contrast, increased battery specific energy or carbon taxes without decarbonization of the electricity grid would have limited impact. Large-capacity PHEVs sized for 40 or more miles of electric-only travel do not offer the lowest lifetime cost in any scenario, although they could minimize GHG emissions for some drivers and provide potential to shift air pollutant emissions away from population centers. The tradeoffs identified in this analysis can provide a space for vehicle manufacturers, policymakers, and the public to identify optimal decisions for PHEV design, policy and use. Given the alignment of economic, environmental, and national security objectives, policies aimed at putting PHEVs on the road will likely be most effective if they focus on adoption of small-capacity PHEVs by urban drivers who can charge frequently.

Suggested Citation

  • Shiau, Ching-Shin Norman & Samaras, Constantine & Hauffe, Richard & Michalek, Jeremy J., 2009. "Impact of battery weight and charging patterns on the economic and environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 2653-2663, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:37:y:2009:i:7:p:2653-2663
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301-4215(09)00140-2
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zervas, Efthimios & Lazarou, Christos, 2008. "Influence of European passenger cars weight to exhaust CO2 emissions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 248-257, January.
    2. Derek M. Lemoine, 2010. "Valuing Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles' Battery Capacity Using a Real Options Framework," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), pages 113-144.
    3. Romm, Joseph, 2006. "The car and fuel of the future," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(17), pages 2609-2614, November.
    4. Bradley, Thomas H. & Frank, Andrew A., 2009. "Design, demonstrations and sustainability impact assessments for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 115-128, January.
    5. Axsen, Jonn & Burke, Andy & Kurani, Kenneth S, 2008. "Batteries for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs): Goals and the State of Technology circa 2008," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt1bp83874, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kristoffersen, Trine Krogh & Capion, Karsten & Meibom, Peter, 2011. "Optimal charging of electric drive vehicles in a market environment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(5), pages 1940-1948, May.
    2. Skerlos, Steven J. & Winebrake, James J., 2010. "Targeting plug-in hybrid electric vehicle policies to increase social benefits," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 705-708, February.
    3. Arslan, Okan & Yıldız, Barış & Karaşan, Oya Ekin, 2015. "Minimum cost path problem for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 123-141.
    4. Sajib Chakraborty & Hai-Nam Vu & Mohammed Mahedi Hasan & Dai-Duong Tran & Mohamed El Baghdadi & Omar Hegazy, 2019. "DC-DC Converter Topologies for Electric Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Fast Charging Stations: State of the Art and Future Trends," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-43, April.
    5. Peng Cheng & Zhe Ouyang & Yang Liu, 0. "The effect of information overload on the intention of consumers to adopt electric vehicles," Transportation, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    6. Omar, Noshin & Monem, Mohamed Abdel & Firouz, Yousef & Salminen, Justin & Smekens, Jelle & Hegazy, Omar & Gaulous, Hamid & Mulder, Grietus & Van den Bossche, Peter & Coosemans, Thierry & Van Mierlo, J, 2014. "Lithium iron phosphate based battery – Assessment of the aging parameters and development of cycle life model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1575-1585.
    7. Rejaul Islam & S M Sajjad Hossain Rafin & Osama A. Mohammed, 2022. "Comprehensive Review of Power Electronic Converters in Electric Vehicle Applications," Forecasting, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-59, December.
    8. Chung, Sung Hoon & Kwon, Changhyun, 2015. "Multi-period planning for electric car charging station locations: A case of Korean Expressways," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 242(2), pages 677-687.
    9. Juul, Nina, 2012. "Battery prices and capacity sensitivity: Electric drive vehicles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 403-410.
    10. Axsen, John & Kurani, Kenneth S. & McCarthy, Ryan & Yang, Christopher, 2010. "Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle GHG Impacts in California: Integrating Consumer-Informed Recharge Profiles with an Electricity-Dispatch Model," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt9zg6g60t, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    11. Bergthorson, Jeffrey M. & Thomson, Murray J., 2015. "A review of the combustion and emissions properties of advanced transportation biofuels and their impact on existing and future engines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1393-1417.
    12. Gilbert, Richard & Perl, Anthony, 2007. "Grid-connected vehicles as the core of future land-based transport systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 3053-3060, May.
    13. Richa, Kirti & Babbitt, Callie W. & Gaustad, Gabrielle & Wang, Xue, 2014. "A future perspective on lithium-ion battery waste flows from electric vehicles," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 63-76.
    14. Sajjad Haider & Peter Schegner, 2020. "Heuristic Optimization of Overloading Due to Electric Vehicles in a Low Voltage Grid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-19, November.
    15. Galus, Matthias D. & Zima, Marek & Andersson, Göran, 2010. "On integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles into existing power system structures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6736-6745, November.
    16. Yilmaz, Murat, 2015. "Limitations/capabilities of electric machine technologies and modeling approaches for electric motor design and analysis in plug-in electric vehicle applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 80-99.
    17. Tsita, Katerina G. & Pilavachi, Petros A., 2012. "Evaluation of alternative fuels for the Greek road transport sector using the analytic hierarchy process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 677-686.
    18. Gonçalves, D.C. & Lopes, J.D.F. & Campilho, R.D.S.G. & Belinha, J., 2022. "Topology optimization using a natural neighbour meshless method combined with a bi-directional evolutionary algorithm," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 308-328.
    19. Zhang, Yong & Yu, Yifeng & Zou, Bai, 2011. "Analyzing public awareness and acceptance of alternative fuel vehicles in China: The case of EV," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 7015-7024.
    20. Kurani, Kenneth S & Axsen, Jonn & Caperello, Nicolette & Davies, Jamie & Stillwater, Tai, 2009. "Learning from Consumers: Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Demonstration and Consumer Education, Outreach, and Market Research Program," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt9361r9h7, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:37:y:2009:i:7:p:2653-2663. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.