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Will Electric Vehicles Be Killed (again) or Are They the Next Mobility Killer App?

Author

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  • Christian Thiel

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy)

  • Anastasios Tsakalidis

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy)

  • Arnulf Jäger-Waldau

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy)

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been around for more than a hundred years. Nevertheless, their deployment has not been a sustainable success up until now. Many scientists, engineers and policymakers argue that EVs are a promising, maybe even indispensable option to achieve ambitious decarbonization goals, if powered by electricity from renewable energy sources. At the moment, the EVs market is gaining a lot of momentum and we may be near the point of no return for a sustained mass market deployment of electric vehicles. Many papers exist that describe future prospects of EVs. In our commentary we try to provide a bigger picture view and look at market and societal aspects. We analyze why previous generations of EVs were not successful and how current electric vehicles could become a sustainable success. We perform a semi-quantitative Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis and find that current electric vehicle designs are technologically on par with or better than conventional alternatives. Car buyers go electric when the economics make sense to them. We conclude that incentives are needed for electric vehicles until battery costs lower—as much as to allow EVs to become cheaper—from a total cost of ownership (TCO) perspective, than other alternatives. Other policy measures are needed to overcome remaining barriers, especially in supporting the setup and operation of publicly accessible recharging points to overcome range anxiety. EVs in isolation may not be the next mobility killer app. The real next mobility killer app may emerge as an autonomous shared EV in a world where the border between public and private transport will cease to exist. The findings of our commentary are relevant for scientists, policymakers and industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Thiel & Anastasios Tsakalidis & Arnulf Jäger-Waldau, 2020. "Will Electric Vehicles Be Killed (again) or Are They the Next Mobility Killer App?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-10, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:7:p:1828-:d:343643
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    5. Anastasios Tsakalidis & Mitchell van Balen & Konstantinos Gkoumas & Ferenc Pekar, 2020. "Catalyzing Sustainable Transport Innovation through Policy Support and Monitoring: The Case of TRIMIS and the European Green Deal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Aritra Ghosh, 2020. "Possibilities and Challenges for the Inclusion of the Electric Vehicle (EV) to Reduce the Carbon Footprint in the Transport Sector: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-22, May.
    7. Marta Borowska-Stefańska & Michał Kowalski & Paulina Kurzyk & Miroslava Mikušová & Szymon Wiśniewski, 2021. "Privileging Electric Vehicles as an Element of Promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility—Effects on the Local Transport System in a Large Metropolis in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-24, June.
    8. Secinaro, Silvana & Calandra, Davide & Lanzalonga, Federico & Ferraris, Alberto, 2022. "Electric vehicles’ consumer behaviours: Mapping the field and providing a research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 399-416.
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