Electric Cars: Ready for prime time?
Should electric automobiles receive subsidies – or “primes” – in order to help countries reduce oil dependence, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution … and if so, when? This Policy Brief highlights evidence on the costs to consumers and society of purchasing battery electric automobiles instead of equivalent fossil-fueled automobiles and assesses the justification for purchase subsidies. It is based on detailed cost comparison for vehicles currently on sale in the French market and discusses the impact of the €5 000 “prime” for electric automobiles. This analysis finds that: 1. Electric passenger automobiles currently cost €4k to €5k more to their owners than an equivalent fossil fuel automobile over the vehicle’s lifetime… 2. … but because of greater travel distances, an electric delivery van costs €4k less to owners over its lifetime than a similar fossil-fuel van. 3. Societal costs for electric automobiles and vans range from €7k to €12k more than fossil fuelled equivalents. 4. The costs of reducing CO2 emissions by promoting electric automobiles, even with low carbon electricity, remain high. 5. In those cases where electric automobiles already compare favorably to fossil-fueled vehicles, subsidies may be superfluous.
- Record URL:
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Corporate Authors:
2 rue Andre Pascal
Paris Cedex 16, France F-75775 - Publication Date: 2012-6
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Edition: Policy Brief
- Pagination: 4p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Costs; Delivery vehicles; Electric automobiles; Externalities; Private passenger vehicles; Subsidies; Trip length; Vans
- Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01380256
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Aug 21 2012 8:50AM