Environmental Implications of the National Power Roadmap with Policy Directives for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)

Solhee Kim, Rylie E. O. Pelton, Timothy M. Smith, Jimin Lee, Jeongbae Jeon and Kyo Suh
Additional contact information
Solhee Kim: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Rylie E. O. Pelton: NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, 325 Learning and Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
Timothy M. Smith: Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, and Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
Jimin Lee: Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jeongbae Jeon: Spatial Information Research Institute, Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, Jeonju 54870, Korea
Kyo Suh: Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology, and Institute of Green Bio Science Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang 25354, Korea

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 23, 1-22

Abstract: The environmental impact of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) largely depends on the environmental profile of the national electric power grid that enables their operation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the environmental performance of BEV usage in Korea considering the changes and trajectory of the national power roadmap. We examined the environmental performance using a weighted environmental index, considering eight impact categories. The results showed that the weighted environmental impact of Korea’s national power grid supply would increase overall by 66% from 2015 to 2029 using the plan laid out by the 7th Power Roadmap, and by only 33% from 2017 to 2031 using the 8th Power Roadmap plan. This change reflects the substantial amount of renewables in the more recent power mix plan. In 2016, BEV usage in Korea resulted in emissions reductions of about 37% compared with diesel passenger vehicles, and 41% compared with gasoline vehicles per kilometer driven (100 g CO 2 e/km versus 158 g and 170 g CO 2 e/km, respectively) related to transportation sector. By 2030, BEV usage in Korea is expected to achieve a greater emissions reduction of about 53% compared with diesel vehicles and 56% compared with gasoline vehicles. However, trade-offs are also expected because of increased particulate matter (PM) pollution, which we anticipate to increase by 84% compared with 2016 conditions. Despite these projected increases in PM emissions, increased BEV usage in Korea is expected to result in important global and local benefits through reductions of climate-changing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Keywords: battery electric vehicle; environmental impact; power roadmap; power mix; megacity; life cycle assessment (LCA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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