Module summary

In the first lecture we have discussed the various segments of vehicles which are likely to be electrified in the near future. These include:

• • • Motorcycles
    • Light electric vehicles
    • City logistics freight trucks
    • Heavy duty freight
    • Buses

For each of these segments we have discussed the pros and cons of switching to electric and have identified some of the key markets from a global perspective to watch. Not each of these segments is expected to move as fast as the other, due to either technological or market barriers.

In the second lecture Prof. Bert van Wee explained the concept of Total Cost of Ownership. The costs that play a role in the cost of the entire lifetime of the vehicle were discussed. We highlighted the aspects that will play an important role for electric vehicles such as purchase, fuel and maintenance costs. For each of these aspects we discussed the most likely future scenarios but also some of the pitfalls to reach these. We concluded that based on the Total Cost of Ownership sometimes the electric vehicle can already be cheaper if local incentives are in place.

For the third lecture we had a look at how managing a fleet of electric vehicles differs from a gasoline driven fleet. Concepts such asacquisition process and asset utilization were explained. The lecture explained why managing driving behaviour is even more important for electric vehicles for efficiency and to prevent range anxiety. The lecture also gave a first look at the issues around charging, both at the office and on the road.

In the last lecture we looked at the non-financial factors that play a role when switching to electric vehicles. One of the most prominent barriersto EV adoption is the range anxiety. The lecture explained looking at the distribution of daily driving distances that overnight and office charging is sufficient in more than 90% of the time. Furthermore the concept of life cycle assessment was introduced for an honest comparison of the vehicle emissions of the entire lifetime, including additional emissions from battery production.

Further reading

• • • Messagie, M., Boureima, F. S., Coosemans, T., Macharis, C., & Mierlo, J. V. (2014). A range-based vehicle life cycle assessment incorporating variability in the environmental assessment of different vehicle technologies and fuels. Energies, 7(3), 1467-1482.
    • Smart, Powell & Schey , 2013, Extended Range Electric Vehicle Driving and Charging Behavior Observed Early in the EV Project, SAE World Congress 2013
    • Electric Vehicle Outlook 2018, 2018, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, retrieved on 12-06-2018 from https://about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook/
    • B. Nykvist, M. Nilsson, 2015, Rapidly falling costs of battery packs for electric vehicles Nature Climate Change, 5 (4), pp. 329-332
    • G. Wu, A. Inderbitzin, C. Bening, 2015, Total cost of ownership of electric vehicles compared to conventional vehicles: A probabilistic analysis and projection across market segments, Energy Policy, 80, pp. 196-214