Effect of Battery-Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles on PM2.5 Emissions in 29 European Countries

Abstract

The contribution of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to mitigating/reducing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions was researched through a panel of 29 European countries from 2010 to 2019, using the econometric technique of method of moments quantile regression (MM-QR). This research is innovative by connecting the increasing use of electric vehicles with PM2.5 emissions and using the MM-QR to explore this relationship. Two models were estimated to analyse their contribution to reducing PM2.5 in European countries. The nonlinearity of the models were confirmed. The statistical significance of the variables is strong for the upper quantiles (75th and 90th), resulting from the effectiveness of European policies to improve the environment. Electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs), economic growth, and urbanisation reduce the PM2.5 problem, but energy intensity and fossil fuel consumption aggravate it. This research sheds light on how policymakers and governments can design proposals to encourage electric vehicle use in European countries. To achieve the long-term climate neutral strategy by 2050, it is imperative to implement effective policies to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and promote the adoption of electric vehicles using renewable energy sources.

Heterogeneous Impact of Electrification of Road Transport on Premature Deaths from Outdoor Air Pollution: A Macroeconomic Evidence from 29 European Countries

“…Fuinhas et al [10] also studied the impact of electric vehicles on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the EU-27 countries. The authors complement the explanation of Kazemzadeh et al [9], where the increase of electric vehicles in the EU-27 fleet will mitigate the consumption of fossil fuels and, consequently, the GHGs. Moreover, the same authors suggest that the rise in energy efficiency is also responsible for reducing emissions in the region.…”

“…Consequently, the increased number of electric vehicles in the fleet is expected to reduce premature deaths from outdoor pollution. The relationship between electrification 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 In other words, if the process of electrification of the transport sector mitigates the air pollution in the EU countries, as found by Kazemzadeh et al [9] and Fuinhas et al [10], then this same process also could mitigate the premature deaths from outdoor air pollution as a consequence of the reduction in air pollution.…”

“…Indeed, the evidence that the electrification of the transport sector can mitigate air pollution in EU countries was discovered by some authors (e.g., Kazemzadeh et al [9]; Fuinhas et al [10]). For example, Kazemzadeh et al [9] studied the impact of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on PM2.5 emissions in 29 European Countries. Therefore, the capacity of BEVs and PHEVs to reduce PM2.5 emissions is correlated with the increase in energy efficiency in electric vehicles that consume less electricity from non-renewable energy sources.…”

“…On the other hand, the BEVs accounted for 2.19%, while the PHEVs represented a 1.21% market share. In the EU, more than half of these registrations were made in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom (e.g., Kazemzadeh et al [9]; and Fuinhas et al [10]. Indeed, according to the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) [11] and Koengkan et al [12], the number of BEVs in the fleet in the EU that includes, for example, passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, and trucks, was 4440 units in 2008, but reached 2190.…”

Smart Design: Application of an Automatic New Methodology for the Energy Assessment and Redesign of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Mechanical Components

“…Nowadays, purely electric transmission is becoming increasingly popular in the automotive field [1,2]. The main advantage of this type of transmission is to cut down local pollutant emission [3][4][5][6], so as to improve air quality of urban centres and, hence, help in the reduction of global pollution. Despite the obvious advantages, many problems mean this type of architecture is still not strongly present on a global level: high vehicle costs related to a more complex architecture and control systems [7], battery autonomy [8][9][10][11] and the lack of infrastructure (charging stations) in urban centers [12][13][14].…”