On the Move: Unpacking the Challenges and Opportunities of Electric Vehicles

by Joseph Glandorf (Energy and Environmental Study Institute) ... Congress is considering legislation that would address these hurdles, including the Electric Vehicle Freedom Act, and has already passed the Charging Helps Agencies Realize General Efficiencies (CHARGE) Act (see part 2 of this article).

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Renewable energy and climate mitigation. While not a hurdle to widespread EV adoption in and of itself, the electrical grid’s continued reliance on fossil fuels can reduce the cost-effectiveness of EV adoption as an emissions abatement strategy. Despite reducing emissions even when connected to a fossil-powered grid, electric vehicles are a much more cost-effective emission reduction tool when renewable energy sources make up a greater proportion of the energy mix. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), on a relatively high-carbon grid (which produces 500–600 grams of CO2 equivalent emissions per kilowatt-hour of power generation), light-duty electric vehicles can cost “many hundreds of dollars” per ton of CO2 abated. However, in a relatively low-carbon grid (which emits below 200 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour), EVs cost below $200 per ton of abatement. Maximizing the use of renewable energy to power electric vehicles is therefore crucial.

Grid capacity. Trading out a national fleet of gasoline-powered cars and trucks for a fleet of EVs means that millions of people will depend on the electric grid in new ways. Therefore, power generation capacity will need to increase to accommodate these vehicles without straining the grid. Expert assessments vary on how much electricity demand will increase with widespread EV use. The Department of Energy predicts a 38 percent increase in electricity consumption by 2050, mostly due to a high penetration of electric vehicles. Researchers at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas Austin conducted a state-by-state assessment of a scenario in which all personal cars, trucks, and SUVs are converted to plug-in electric models. The study finds that state energy consumption would range from an increase of 17 percent in Wyoming to 55 percent in Maine. Most states’ consumption increases clustered between 20 to 30 percent. While some state grids have the available excess capacity to generate increased amounts of power with existing infrastructure under favorable assumptions for charging times, others do not. The ability of grids to handle EV charging also depends on what time of day the vehicles are plugged in. EVs have a much lower chance of overloading grids if charged at off-peak hours, when fewer consumers are using electricity.

Vehicle costs. Electric cars generally have higher sticker prices than their gasoline-fueled counterparts, mostly because of expensive materials and processes used in battery production. Although these costs have fallen steeply over the last decade, the average sticker price on a new electric vehicle is around $30-40,000. However, electric vehicles are likely to accrue significant savings on fuel over a 15-year lifespan. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Idaho National Laboratory, under baseline scenario assumptions about gas prices, electricity costs, and charging behavior, electric vehicles could save consumers anywhere between $4,500 to $12,000. The savings depend on the driver’s state of residence, with Hawaii offering the lowest savings and California the highest. Even with the savings over time, it remains important for electric vehicles to be affordable at point of purchase to compete with gasoline-powered cars.

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Sales outlook. According to the Department of Energy, as of 2019, electric cars made up 2.1 percent of all new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States, up from 0.7 percent in 2015. Currently, Tesla sells the largest share of new electric vehicles in the United States, but the Nissan Leaf makes up the largest share of used EV sales. The Edison Electric Institute predicts that electric vehicles will make up 7 percent of all vehicles on the road by 2030, or about 18.7 million vehicles. While this growth rate is impressive, it will need to be dramatically increased if uptake is to progress fast enough to meet international climate targets. READ MORE

Rural Communities Could Benefit Most from Electric Vehicles (Union of Concerned Scientists)

O’Halleran, Burgess Introduce Bill to Create Jobs in Electric Vehicle Market (Office of Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01))
Rising power costs spark fears of clean energy slowdown (E&E News Energywire)
#100. Accelerating Decarbonization at the Intersection of Transportation and Energy (Transport Energy Strategies Podcast)

Excerpt from Office of Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01): Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) and Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) introduced H.R. 8807, the Electric Vehicle Mobility Area Planning Act (EV MAP Act). The bill would create a $10 million grant program to assist localities and electric utilities to identify the locations for electric vehicle charging stations in their communities.

O’Halleran and Burgess’ legislation will assist communities in saving money on transportation costs, reducing environmental impacts from tailpipe emissions, and gaining access to new, cutting edge transportation technology by providing consumers and developers better, data-driven, more publicly accessible information, allowing them to make the best planning and investment decisions for their individual needs, and creating new, American manufacturing jobs in the process.

View text of the bill, HERE. READ MORE