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The presentation summarized the collaborative EPRI-NRDC three volume report “Environmental Assessment of a Full Electric Transportation Portfolio” that was released on September 17, 2015. The report projects GHG emissions through 2050 and air quality impacts in 2030. It finds that greenhouse gas emissions from light-duty vehicles could drop as much as 64 percent below today’s levels. Widespread use of electric vehicles—including lawn and garden equipment and heavy industrial equipment such as forklifts—could improve air quality, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Use of electric vehicles would achieve greater reductions in GHG emissions, corresponding to the rate that the electric grid becomes cleaner, through greater reliance on renewables and low- and non-emitting generation.
Transportation electrification can lead to modest, but widespread air quality benefits. The study’s models project that PEVs can help reduce ground-level ozone and particulate matter in both urban and rural areas across the country. Air quality benefits from adoption of PEVs are expected to increase as the power system becomes cleaner and a greater portion of the transportation fleet is electrified.
This presentation was sponsored by the PH&EV Center and National Center for Sustainable Transportation.