IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v230y2018icp135-147.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric vehicles in countries dependent on the import of fuels through maritime transportation: A South Korean case study

Author

Listed:
  • Choi, Wonjae
  • Song, Han Ho

Abstract

Well-to-wheel (WTW) analysis of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) has been mainly performed in the U.S., China, and Europe, which are countries that can produce sizable amounts of fuels or import additionally required fuels through land transportation. However, the situation characterizing these countries is far different from that of countries dependent on the import of fuels through maritime transportation, such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, because the dependence on fuel imports through maritime transportation affects not only the energy mix but also the complexity and results of WTW analysis. In addition, determining the WTW greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of driving BEVs in these countries is very important since these countries have large amounts of GHG emissions and strong interests in the widespread adoption of BEVs. Therefore, unlike previous studies, this study evaluates the WTW GHG emissions of BEVs in South Korea as an example of such countries. To perform WTW analysis of BEVs, comprehensive life cycle analyses of five power generation fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum-based fuel, uranium, and bio heavy oil) are conducted. In addition, ten different power generation technologies and two different electric grids (mainland and the Jeju Island) in South Korea are analysed. The fuel economies of BEVs and conventional vehicles are also considered for evaluating the WTW GHG emissions. The result of this study shows that import processes commonly increase the life cycle GHG emissions of power generation fuels. The GHG emissions of natural gas from the upstream process are ∼40% higher than those of the U.S due to the liquefaction and regasification required for importing natural gas. However, although natural gas produces large amounts of GHG emissions from the upstream process, the electricity generated from natural gas still produces the lowest GHG emissions among the fossil fuels like other countries due to the high efficiency of combined cycle systems. The life cycle GHG emissions of electricity of the Korean mainland and Jeju are calculated to be 578 g CO2 eq/kWh and 544 g CO2 eq/kWh, respectively, which are higher than that of the EU and lower than that of the U.S. and China. Driving BEVs in South Korea was found to have advantages of 90–110 g CO2 eq/km and 50–60 g CO2 eq/km on average over driving internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), respectively, not only on the Korean mainland but also on Jeju Island. Because the GHG emissions from the upstream process of major power generation fuels and the life cycle GHG emissions of the electricity from major power generation technologies are determined in this study, these results are expected to be informative for other countries, which may have different detailed generation mixes, in similar situations.

Suggested Citation

  • Choi, Wonjae & Song, Han Ho, 2018. "Well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions of battery electric vehicles in countries dependent on the import of fuels through maritime transportation: A South Korean case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 135-147.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:230:y:2018:i:c:p:135-147
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.092
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261918312637
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.092?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, Kun-Mo & Lee, Sang-Yong & Hur, Tak, 2004. "Life cycle inventory analysis for electricity in Korea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 87-101.
    2. Ou, Xunmin & Yan, Xiaoyu & Zhang, Xiliang & Liu, Zhen, 2012. "Life-cycle analysis on energy consumption and GHG emission intensities of alternative vehicle fuels in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 218-224.
    3. Zhang, Caiping & Jiang, Jiuchun & Gao, Yang & Zhang, Weige & Liu, Qiujiang & Hu, Xiaosong, 2017. "Charging optimization in lithium-ion batteries based on temperature rise and charge time," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 569-577.
    4. Rahman, Imran & Vasant, Pandian M. & Singh, Balbir Singh Mahinder & Abdullah-Al-Wadud, M. & Adnan, Nadia, 2016. "Review of recent trends in optimization techniques for plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicle charging infrastructures," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1039-1047.
    5. Donateo, T. & Licci, F. & D’Elia, A. & Colangelo, G. & Laforgia, D. & Ciancarelli, F., 2015. "Evaluation of emissions of CO2 and air pollutants from electric vehicles in Italian cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 675-687.
    6. Rangaraju, Surendraprabu & De Vroey, Laurent & Messagie, Maarten & Mertens, Jan & Van Mierlo, Joeri, 2015. "Impacts of electricity mix, charging profile, and driving behavior on the emissions performance of battery electric vehicles: A Belgian case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 496-505.
    7. Orsi, Francesco & Muratori, Matteo & Rocco, Matteo & Colombo, Emanuela & Rizzoni, Giorgio, 2016. "A multi-dimensional well-to-wheels analysis of passenger vehicles in different regions: Primary energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and economic cost," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 197-209.
    8. Hondo, Hiroki, 2005. "Life cycle GHG emission analysis of power generation systems: Japanese case," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 2042-2056.
    9. Ke, Wenwei & Zhang, Shaojun & He, Xiaoyi & Wu, Ye & Hao, Jiming, 2017. "Well-to-wheels energy consumption and emissions of electric vehicles: Mid-term implications from real-world features and air pollution control progress," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 367-377.
    10. Ardani, M.I. & Patel, Y. & Siddiq, A. & Offer, G.J. & Martinez-Botas, R.F., 2018. "Combined experimental and numerical evaluation of the differences between convective and conductive thermal control on the performance of a lithium ion cell," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 81-97.
    11. Wang, Yujie & Zhang, Chenbin & Chen, Zonghai, 2017. "On-line battery state-of-charge estimation based on an integrated estimator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 2026-2032.
    12. Onat, Nuri Cihat & Kucukvar, Murat & Tatari, Omer, 2015. "Conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles? State-based comparative carbon and energy footprint analysis in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 36-49.
    13. Requia, Weeberb J. & Adams, Matthew D. & Arain, Altaf & Koutrakis, Petros & Ferguson, Mark, 2017. "Carbon dioxide emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: A life-cycle analysis in eight Canadian cities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1390-1396.
    14. Björn Nykvist & Måns Nilsson, 2015. "Rapidly falling costs of battery packs for electric vehicles," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 329-332, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jani Das, 2022. "Comparative life cycle GHG emission analysis of conventional and electric vehicles in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13294-13333, November.
    2. Xin-Wei Li & Hong-Zhi Miao, 2023. "How to Incorporate Autonomous Vehicles into the Carbon Neutrality Framework of China: Legal and Policy Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-24, March.
    3. Lopez, Neil Stephen & Tria, Lew Andrew & Tayo, Leo Allen & Cruzate, Rovinna Janel & Oppus, Carlos & Cabacungan, Paul & Isla, Igmedio & Ansay, Arjun & Garcia, Teodinis & Cabarrubias-Dela Cruz, Kevien &, 2021. "Societal cost-benefit analysis of electric vehicles in the Philippines with the inclusion of impacts to balance of payments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    4. Vinicius Andrade dos Santos & Patrícia Pereira da Silva & Luís Manuel Ventura Serrano, 2022. "The Maritime Sector and Its Problematic Decarbonization: A Systematic Review of the Contribution of Alternative Fuels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-30, May.
    5. Yuan, Xiaodong & Cai, Yuchen, 2021. "Forecasting the development trend of low emission vehicle technologies: Based on patent data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    6. Zhang, Jin & Wang, Zhenpo & Liu, Peng & Zhang, Zhaosheng & Li, Xiaoyu & Qu, Changhui, 2019. "Driving cycles construction for electric vehicles considering road environment: A case study in Beijing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    7. Kim, Imjung & Kim, Junghun & Lee, Jongsu, 2020. "Dynamic analysis of well-to-wheel electric and hydrogen vehicles greenhouse gas emissions: Focusing on consumer preferences and power mix changes in South Korea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    8. Nenming Wang & Guwen Tang, 2022. "A Review on Environmental Efficiency Evaluation of New Energy Vehicles Using Life Cycle Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-35, March.
    9. Choi, Wonjae & Yoo, Eunji & Seol, Eunsu & Kim, Myoungsoo & Song, Han Ho, 2020. "Greenhouse gas emissions of conventional and alternative vehicles: Predictions based on energy policy analysis in South Korea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    10. Desantes, J.M. & Novella, R. & Pla, B. & Lopez-Juarez, M., 2021. "Impact of fuel cell range extender powertrain design on greenhouse gases and NOX emissions in automotive applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peng, Tianduo & Ren, Lei & Ou, Xunmin, 2023. "Development and application of life-cycle energy consumption and carbon footprint analysis model for passenger vehicles in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    2. Tianduo Peng & Sheng Zhou & Zhiyi Yuan & Xunmin Ou, 2017. "Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Analysis of Multiple Vehicle Fuel Pathways in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Brady, John & O’Mahony, Margaret, 2016. "Development of a driving cycle to evaluate the energy economy of electric vehicles in urban areas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 165-178.
    4. Kain Glensor & María Rosa Muñoz B., 2019. "Life-Cycle Assessment of Brazilian Transport Biofuel and Electrification Pathways," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-31, November.
    5. Rupp, Matthias & Handschuh, Nils & Rieke, Christian & Kuperjans, Isabel, 2019. "Contribution of country-specific electricity mix and charging time to environmental impact of battery electric vehicles: A case study of electric buses in Germany," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 618-634.
    6. Kim, Imjung & Kim, Junghun & Lee, Jongsu, 2020. "Dynamic analysis of well-to-wheel electric and hydrogen vehicles greenhouse gas emissions: Focusing on consumer preferences and power mix changes in South Korea," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    7. Feiqi Liu & Fuquan Zhao & Zongwei Liu & Han Hao, 2018. "China’s Electric Vehicle Deployment: Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emission Impacts," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-19, November.
    8. Yashraj Tripathy & Andrew McGordon & Anup Barai, 2020. "Improving Accessible Capacity Tracking at Low Ambient Temperatures for Range Estimation of Battery Electric Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.
    9. Audoly, Richard & Vogt-Schilb, Adrien & Guivarch, Céline & Pfeiffer, Alexander, 2018. "Pathways toward zero-carbon electricity required for climate stabilization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 884-901.
    10. István Árpád & Judit T. Kiss & Gábor Bellér & Dénes Kocsis, 2021. "Sustainability Investigation of Vehicles’ CO 2 Emission in Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-15, July.
    11. Will, Christian & Zimmermann, Florian & Ensslen, Axel & Fraunholz, Christoph & Jochem, Patrick & Keles, Dogan, 2024. "Can electric vehicle charging be carbon neutral? Uniting smart charging and renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 371(C).
    12. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2008. "Valuing the greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power: A critical survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 2940-2953, August.
    13. Lin, Boqiang & Wu, Wei, 2021. "The impact of electric vehicle penetration: A recursive dynamic CGE analysis of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    14. Moretti, Christian & Moro, Alberto & Edwards, Robert & Rocco, Matteo Vincenzo & Colombo, Emanuela, 2017. "Analysis of standard and innovative methods for allocating upstream and refinery GHG emissions to oil products," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 372-381.
    15. Schwab, Julia & Sölch, Christian & Zöttl, Gregor, 2022. "Electric Vehicle Cost in 2035: The impact of market penetration and charging strategies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    16. Yali Zheng & Xiaoyi He & Hewu Wang & Michael Wang & Shaojun Zhang & Dong Ma & Binggang Wang & Ye Wu, 2020. "Well-to-wheels greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from battery electric vehicles in China," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 355-370, March.
    17. Crossin, Enda & Doherty, Peter J.B., 2016. "The effect of charging time on the comparative environmental performance of different vehicle types," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 716-726.
    18. Shaikh, Mohammad A. & Kucukvar, Murat & Onat, Nuri Cihat & Kirkil, Gokhan, 2017. "A framework for water and carbon footprint analysis of national electricity production scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 406-421.
    19. Zhou, Xi-Yin & Xu, Zhicheng & Zheng, Jialin & Zhou, Ya & Lei, Kun & Fu, Jiafeng & Khu, Soon-Thiam & Yang, Junfeng, 2023. "Internal spillover effect of carbon emission between transportation sectors and electricity generation sectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 356-366.
    20. Xydas, Erotokritos & Marmaras, Charalampos & Cipcigan, Liana M., 2016. "A multi-agent based scheduling algorithm for adaptive electric vehicles charging," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 354-365.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:230:y:2018:i:c:p:135-147. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.