At a Glance: Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) include all-electric vehicles - also referred to as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) - and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
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At a Glance: Electric Vehicles (French Translation)
Electric vehicles (EVs) include all-electric vehicles - also referred to as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) - and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). This is the French translation of NREL/FS-5400-87123 (https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/87123.pdf).
ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Supporting Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Deployment
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) helps federal agencies electrify their fleets and support the deployment of charging infrastructure. To assist agencies with the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), FEMP offers technical guidance on electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installations and site-specific planning through on-site and virtual EVSE Tiger Teams.
ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Light-duty Plug-in Electric Vehicles in China: Evolution, Competition, and Outlook
China's plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market with stocks at 7.8 million is the world's largest in 2021, and it accounts for half of the global PEV growth in 2021. The PEV market in China has dramatically evolved since the pandemic in 2020: over 20% of all new PEV sales are from China by mid-2022. Recent features of PEV market dynamics, consumer acceptance, policies, and infrastructure have important implications for both the global energy market and manufacturing stakeholders. From the perspective of demand pull-supply push, this study analyzes China's PEV industry with a market dynamics framework by reviewing sales, product and brand, infrastructure, and government policies from the last few years and outlooking the development of the new government’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). From the demand side, small-sized sedans and compact sport utility vehicles with increased electric ranges are both popular for PEVs, and the electric range of over 60% of new battery electric vehicles in 2021 has been longer than 400 km. From the supply side, although foreign brands like Tesla are still competitive, the products by Chinese domestic automakers like BYD are becoming more attractive and cannibalizing the high-end market. However, the production capacity and cost of PEVs may be limited by the upstream of the supply chain – the battery manufacturing and supply chain inflation. In addition, it is also uncertain how much sales demand impacts will be caused by the potential global economic recession. The government firmly supports electrification and decarbonization of the vehicle industry by emphasizing the importance of the vehicle industry for promoting the greenhouse gas net zero by 2060. The dual-credit policy is regarded as the most critical regulation in a bid to restrain fuel consumption and promote PEV share. Still, the market is facing some technological obstacles, such as battery safety and driving range anxiety, before real prosperity. In addition, the Chinese electric vehicle market is seeing a trend toward the development of new technologies such as vehicle-to-X, autonomous driving, and connected vehicles.
Hao, Xu↗
Challenges and Opportunities of Integrating Electric Vehicles in Electricity Distribution Systems
Increased charging needs from widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles (EVs) will impact electricity demand. This will likely require a combination of potentially costly distribution infrastructure upgrades and synergistic grid-transportation solutions such as managed charging and strategic charger placement. Fully implementing such strategic planning and control methods - including business models and mechanisms to engage and compensate consumers - can minimize or even eliminate required grid upgrades. Moreover, there are also opportunities for EV charging to support the grid by helping solve existing and emerging distribution system challenges associated with increasing distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar generation and battery energy storage. This paper reviews the potential impacts of EV charging on electricity distribution systems and describes methods from the literature to efficiently integrate EVs into distribution systems.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Data-Driven Simulation-Based Planning for Electric Airport Shuttle Systems: A Real-World Case Study
Many airports are adopting battery electric buses in their shuttle fleets due to concerns over air quality and regulations. This study proposes a simulation-based optimization modeling framework to help airport shuttle operators effectively deploy electric buses. We evaluated a planned airport electric shuttle system with an event-driven simulator. Empirical data collected from existing systems were used to drive the simulations. We then proposed a simulation-based optimization model to determine the battery capacity, charging power, and number of chargers so that predefined objective(s) (e.g., minimizing total capital cost, minimizing emissions) are optimized. Compared to existing studies, the primary contribution of the proposed method is that it can model the real-world stochastic nature of operations in an electric bus system with much higher fidelity. To demonstrate the proposed modeling framework, we study a real-world shuttle system at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and present extensive numerical studies. When considering partial fleet electrification, the model can provide a set of Pareto optimal solutions. When considering full fleet electrification, the optimal solution requires a 50-kWh battery capacity and four 210-kW chargers, resulting in a total capital cost of $26,744,000. The results demonstrate that the proposed modeling framework can effectively optimize the planning of electric airport shuttle systems with partial or full fleet electrification.
ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,ENERGY PLANNING, POLIC↗
Cradle-to-grave mercury emissions of light-duty gasoline and electric vehicles in China
China is actively promoting vehicle electrification, which is deemed to help achieve its ambitious carbon neutrality goal by 2060. Here we show that vehicle electrification in China leads to an increase in automotive emissions of mercury, a persistent, global hazardous pollutant regulated in the United Nations’ Minamata Convention. We found that with current technologies, life-cycle mercury emissions of battery electric vehicles of 300 miles of all-electric range are 92% higher than conventional gasoline internal combustion engine vehicles, primarily due to the high mercury emissions from coal-based electricity generation. Notably different from greenhouse gases, mercury emissions are mainly embedded in vehicular material production and vehicle manufacturing, accounting for 50–60% for electric vehicles and ~90% for gasoline vehicles of their life-cycle mercury emissions. Even with a deeply decarbonized power grid, mercury footprints of electric vehicles would still be higher than those of gasoline vehicles, implying a potential increase in automotive mercury emissions in any countries that promote vehicle electrification. Measures including decarbonizing electric grid, implementing mercury-specific emission control through vehicle supply chain, and increasing metal recycling in electric vehicle batteries will help mitigate the unintended mercury emission increase caused by vehicle electrification.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Annual Technology Baseline: The 2020 Transportation Update
Consistent cost and performance data for various transportation technologies can be difficult to find and may change frequently for certain technologies. With the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory annually provides an organized and centralized set of such cost and performance data. The ATB uses the best information from the Department of Energy national laboratories' transportation analysts. The ATB has been reviewed by experts and it includes powertrains such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and fuel cell, as well as fuels such as gasoline, ethanol, diesel, biodiesel, natural gas, electricity, and hydrogen.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Development of a Fuel Cell for the Perhydrodibenzyltoluene / Dibenzyltolluene Fuel Pair
An experimental study of the performance of an LFC with H-DBT and other cyclic hydrogenated aromatic fuels was carried out, along with a characterization of the fuel cell conversion products. A technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of the LFC operating in a class 8 truck powertrain using the H-DBT / DBT fuel pair was completed to determine the total cost of ownership (TCO), comparing LFC vehicles (LFCVs) to HFC vehicles (HFCVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and diesel trucks on a pro-forma basis assuming the LFC could be developed to HFC benchmarks.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Scalable Ultra Power-Dense Extended Range (SUPER) Inverter (Final Technical Report)
Battery electric vehicles have gained significant ground in the high-volume vehicle sales arena. However, this is a rapidly evolving marketplace, and refined technologies for the next generation of electric drives are already at an advanced stage of development. Therefore, we can expect to see the major components – batteries, inverters, and electric motors – reduce further in size yet become even safer and more efficient in operation.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Auto-BLAST (AutoBLAST) [SWR-20-93]
Battery life modeling often involves a lot of manual parameter fitting and is not easy for users to adopt the model and use it. To reduce the difficulties for users to adopt battery lifetime models, an automatic battery lifetime modeling analysis and simulation tool suite, Auto-BLAST, has been developed. Auto-BLAST includes a lithium-loss-base life model, a battery electric model, and an algorithm which automatically fits all key parameters in the electric and life models using user provided data. The models and algorithm are packaged into two user-friendly GUIs, Auto-LifeMod, for easy battery life prognostic model fitting and Auto-LifeSim, for easy battery lifetime simulation. The lithium-loss-based life model adopts a similar model framework that models degradations using aging rate models, using battery cycling data to predict battery degradation and expected lifetime. The electric model is an equivalent circuit model which simulates battery voltage responses based on current/power demand profiles. The auto-fitting algorithm uses the user-input data to generate custom battery life model(s). Two GUIs, wrapping around the life model and the auto-fitting algorithm, provide friendly interfaces for users to generate a life model and use it for case study. One GUI requires summary data from accelerated battery life degradation tests as an input and produces battery life models predicting (a) capacity degradation, and (b) resistance growth of the battery. The GUI displays the electrical model response and the input experimental data against the life model predictions with fitted model parameters and fitting error. The GUI also generates an output file to save the fitted model parameters. The second GUI uses the life model from the first GUI and a user-defined battery cycling profile to predict battery lifetime degradation and expected lifetime. Predicted capacity and resistance vs. time are plotted in the GUI and saved to output file. There is a user guide for both GUIs
Mishra, Partha↗
NEXT Generation Energy Technologies for Connected and Automated On-Road Vehicles (NEXTCAR Phase I & II)
The Ohio State University’s ARPA-E NEXTCAR project was a multi-phase, multi-year research, development, and demonstration program focused on improving the energy efficiency of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). The team developed and validated advanced vehicle motion and powertrain control algorithms that coordinate propulsion and automation systems to optimize energy use. Key technologies included Dynamic Skip Fire engine control, predictive eco-driving functions such as Eco-Approach and Departure (Eco-AND) and Eco-Adaptive Cruise Control (Eco-ACC), and powertrain-agnostic optimization frameworks for hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles. The project successfully demonstrated up to 30% energy-efficiency improvement during real-world testing at the Transportation Research Center and the American Center for Mobility. The outcomes provide a foundation for scalable, cost-effective deployment of energy-optimized CAV technologies across the automotive industry.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Integrated U.S. nationwide corridor charging infrastructure planning for mass electrification of inter-city trips
This study introduces an integrated modeling framework to evaluate long-term national corridor charging infrastructure requirements in the United States to support the growing inter-city charging demand with the rapid growth in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market. The core model is an optimization model that considers spatial and temporal dimensions and models heterogeneous behaviors between travelers. The model also introduces the travelers’ inconvenience cost function by linking travelers’ acceptance of the charging infrastructure with exogenous technology and social factors. The inconvenience cost function simulates mode choice between BEVs and alternative modes by heterogenous travelers. We applied the framework to assess the inter-regional charging infrastructure requirements for the entire U.S. mainland interstate highway network. We evaluated impacts on the infrastructure design and its public acceptance with changes in policy, technology, and demographic characteristics, and we also quantified the importance of modeling full-scale inter-regional charging infrastructure requirements compared to the conventional regional level analyses.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Long Beach Transit BEB Progress Report (Jan-Jun 2019)[Slides]
This report summarizes results of a battery electric bus (BEB) evaluation at Long Beach Transit, located in Southern California. Long Beach Transit is collaborating with the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to evaluate the buses in revenue service. The focus of this evaluation is to compare the performance and the operating costs of the BEBs to that of conventional technology buses and to track progress over time. NREL completed a previous report funded by the Federal Transit Administration that documented results from January 2018 through December 2018. This report extends the data analysis through June 2019. The data period focus of this report is January 2019–June 2019. NREL plans to publish another written report on the Long Beach Transit fleet covering all of 2019.
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Zero-Emission Transit Bus Needs Assessment
The transition to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in public transit has gained traction due to significant federal investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This needs assessment, commissioned by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and conducted by researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory, explores the current state of electrification in transit agencies, identifying barriers to implementation, potential funding sources, and operational considerations necessary for a successful transition. The assessment involved qualitative interviews with representatives from 19 transit service providers across diverse geographic regions. Key findings highlight the challenges related to bus facilities and operations, which require careful planning for charging infrastructure and maintenance capabilities to accommodate battery electric buses (BEBs) and hydrogen fuel cell buses (HFCBs). Agencies reported operational hurdles due to the shorter range of BEBs compared to diesel buses, necessitating revised scheduling and routing strategies. Despite these challenges, many agencies expressed optimism about their capacity to adapt. Funding availability emerged as a critical factor influencing the transition to ZEVs. While agencies welcomed increased financial support, particularly from the Low or No Emission Grant Program (Lo-No), concerns about the sustainability of this funding and the ongoing operational costs were prevalent. The need for a comprehensive funding inventory was underscored to ensure transit agencies are aware of all available resources. Technological constraints were significant barriers to ZEV adoption. The limited range of BEBs was frequently cited as a concern, leading to operational challenges and reliability issues. Agencies reported difficulties in sourcing replacement parts, which exacerbated downtime and maintenance challenges. Workforce development and training were identified as pivotal for a successful transition. Many agencies rely heavily on manufacturers for technician training, highlighting the need for scalable training programs that equip staff with the necessary skills to maintain electric powertrains effectively. This assessment offers actionable recommendations for the Joint Office, including enhancing outreach to transit agencies, developing resources for effective utility partnerships, and facilitating comprehensive training programs. Establishing a zero-emission bus evaluation program to track performance metrics such as cost, range, and reliability could provide valuable insights for transit agencies. The needs assessment provides a detailed examination of the challenges and opportunities facing transit agencies in their transition to zero-emissions bus fleets. By addressing these issues through targeted support, stakeholders can collaboratively work towards a cleaner, more sustainable public transportation system that benefits all communities.
33 - ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Future Cost Benefits Analysis for Electrified Vehicles from Advances Due to U.S. Department of Energy Targets
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (DOE-VTO) supports research and development (R&D), as well as deployment of efficient and sustainable transportation technologies, that will improve energy efficiency and fuel economy and enable America to use less petroleum. To accelerate the creation and adoption of new technologies, DOE-VTO has developed specific targets for a wide range of powertrain technologies (e.g., engine, battery, electric machine, lightweighting, etc.). This paper quantifies the impact of VTO R&D on vehicle energy consumption and cost compared to expected historical improvements across vehicle classes, powertrains, component technologies and timeframes. We have implemented a large scale simulation process to develop and simulate tens of thousands of vehicles on U.S. standard driving cycles using Autonomie, a vehicle simulation tool developed by Argonne National Laboratory. Results demonstrate significant additional reductions in both cost and energy consumption due to the existence of VTO R&D targets compared to predicted historical trends. It is observed that, over time, the fuel consumption of different electrified vehicles is expected to decrease by 40–50% and a reduction of 45–55% for vehicle manufacturing costs owing to significant improvements through various VTO R&D targets.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Total cost of ownership of vehicle electrification and fuel switching options for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles
Projecting the transition from combustion engines to battery-based powertrains is complex becuase it involves numerous interdependent decisions. This study estimates total cost of ownership (TCO) to assess the economic viability of powertrain electrification, focusing exclusively on advances in vehicle and fuel technologies. Under two bounding technology-progress scenarios, we develop vehicle designs and fuel cost trajectories, which serve as inputs to TCO projections for selected classes from 2021 to 2050. We analyzed a small sport utility vehicle (SUV) to represent the light-duty vehicle (LDV) sector, and four medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) classes: Class 6 box delivery, Class 8 drayage, Class 8 long-haul, and Class 8 transit bus. For each class, we compared the TCO of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEVs) against conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). The results show that modern ICEVs generally have lower TCO; however, BEVs and FCHEVs could match or have lower TCOs than ICEVs over time, depending on technological progress. In LDVs, BEV300 is projected to deliver the lowest TCO by 2050, particularly under the high-progress scenario. In MHDVs, both BEVs and FCHEVs could become more cost-competitive than ICEVs by 2050 in the high-progress case. Beyond these results, the findings suggest further investigation is warranted for BEV charging infrastructure, FCHEV hydrogen refueling infrastructure, and MHDV charging strategies. In conclusion, these factors could reduce the fuel-cost share of TCO and enhance the competitiveness of BEVs and FCHEVs relative to ICEVs.
Battery electric vehicle↗
Energy, greenhouse gas, and water life cycle analysis of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide monohydrate from brine and ore resources and their use in lithium ion battery cathodes and lithium ion batteries
Life cycle analyses (LCAs) were conducted for battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ) and lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH·H 2 O) produced from Chilean brines (Salar de Atacama) and Australian spodumene ores. The LCA was also extended beyond the production of Li 2 CO 3 and LiOH·H 2 O to include battery cathode materials as well as full automotive traction batteries to observe the effect that the lithium production pathways had on these end products. The LCA here covers material, water, and energy flows associated with lithium acquisition; lithium concentration; production of lithium chemicals, battery cathode powders, and batteries; and associated transportation activities along the supply chain. Based on battery cathode material, the difference in lithium source represents a difference of up to 20% for NMC811 cathode greenhouse gases (GHGs) and up to 45% for NMC622 cathode GHGs. For full batteries, this represents a difference of up to 9% for NMC811 batteries and 20% for NMC622 batteries. Production of Li 2 CO 3 from brine-based resources had less life cycle GHG emissions and freshwater consumption per tonne of Li 2 CO 3 than Li 2 CO 3 from ore-based resources. And LiOH·H 2 O produced from brine-based lithium also had less life cycle GHG emissions and freshwater consumption per tonne of LiOH·H 2 O than LiOH·H 2 O from ore-based resources.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗