Emissions and exposure costs of electric versus conventional vehicles: A case study in Texas

ABSTRACT

The emissions and human exposure impacts of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, especially in comparison to conventional gasoline- or diesel-powered engines, depend on numerous factors including geography, electricity generation, and fuel mix. Results of any analysis also vary depending on the nature of data collected and their level of aggregation by time or location. This paper combines several approaches to develop a robust estimate of these impacts specific to the state of Texas by considering marginal emissions by time of day, as well as location of vehicle and power plant emissions. The authors estimate health and other external costs of operating an EV in the state at approximately $62 per year, compared with an average of $136 for a passenger car powered by gasoline.

KEYWORDS:

• Air pollution
• electric vehicles
• external costs
• human health impacts

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Inês Azevedo and Nicholas Muller for technical guidance, Scott Schauer-West and Zelenny Lozano for assistance preparing this paper, and several anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful feedback.

Funding

This work was partially supported by an Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Texas at Austin.