The Importance of Electric Vehicles. Types, Components, Sustainability, and Eco-friendliness

Scientific Essay , 2022 , 43 Pages

Economy - Environment economics

This article aims to shed light on the importance of electric vehicles; their types, components, amount of CO2 emissions of electric cars; their sustainability, and eco-friendship. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3). In absence of greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth's surface could be −18 °C (0 °F), rather than the present average of 15 °C (59 °F). But despite that greenhouse gas emission data changes because of the development of new sources and markets like the growing market for liquefied natural gas.

Climate change combines global warming and its impacts on Earth's weather patterns, in which the main source is human-induced changes. The emission of greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) caused climate changes. Burning fossil fuels for energy utilization creates most of these emissions. Also, agriculture, forest loss, cement production, and steelmaking are additional sources. According to the WHO, air pollution is a major environmental health risk that causes approximately two million premature deaths universally per year. Ozone, fine dust, SO2, and NO2 were found by WHO as being the most dangerous pollutants which are mainly, or to a substantial extent, traffic-derived, in which traffic is responsible for approximately half of the quantified costs in lives and health. Furthermore, toxic internal combustion engine vehicle emissions cause high health losses even in industrialized countries: almost 25% of the European Union population live adjacent to (less than 500 m) a traffic road carrying more than three million vehicles each year. Also, a report by the European Union stated that the transport sector is responsible for nearly 28% of the total CO2 emissions, whereas, road transport is accountable for over 70% of the transportation emissions. While in Germany, the German Federal Environment ministry (2010) stated that cars were responsible for 60% of all traffic-related CO2 emissions.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Significant alternative fuel sources
  • Electricity
  • Natural gas
  • Biodiesel
  • Hemp biodiesel and hemp ethanol/methanol
  • Ethanol
  • Methanol
  • Solar power
  • Hydrogen
• What is an electric Vehicle?
  • History
  • Types of electric vehicles (EVs)
  • Components of EV
  • How Do All-Electric Cars Work?
  • Characteristics of electric vehicles
• Electric Vehicles and Environment
  • Well-to-wheel efficiency of electric cars
  • Emissions
  • Euro 7 Emission Standards for Vehicles
  • Greenhouse gas emissions of electric cars in operation
• Life cycle assessment of electric cars
  • CO2-life cycle impact of the converted Smart (BEV vs. ICEV)
  • Life cycle impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV)
  • Life cycle impact categories other than global warming potential (GWP)
• Sustainability
  • A Green Cycle for EV Batteries
  • Greenhouse gas emissions and environmental consequences
  • Strategy for sustainable electric vehicles
• Is an electric car a green car?
  • Green Fuel
  • Green car
• Conclusions
• References

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This article aims to examine the sustainability and eco-friendliness of electric vehicles (EVs) by analyzing their different types, components, CO2 emissions, and environmental impact. It also explores the role of clean renewable sources in determining the overall sustainability of EVs.

• Types and components of electric vehicles
• Environmental impact and CO2 emissions of electric vehicles
• Sustainability of electric vehicles
• The role of clean renewable energy sources
• Life cycle assessment of electric cars

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The article begins by highlighting the significant contribution of the transport sector to global CO2 emissions, emphasizing the need for sustainable alternatives. It then discusses the history and types of electric vehicles, including Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV), along with their components and operating principles.

Chapter 4 focuses on the environmental impact of electric vehicles, examining their well-to-wheel efficiency, emissions, and compliance with Euro 7 Emission Standards. It also analyzes the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electric car operation.

Chapter 5 delves into the life cycle assessment of electric cars, including the CO2 impact of the converted Smart car (BEV vs. ICEV), the life cycle impact of PHEVs, and other life cycle impact categories beyond global warming potential.

Chapter 6 explores the concept of sustainability in relation to electric vehicles, discussing a green cycle for EV batteries, the environmental consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, and strategies for sustainable electric vehicle development.

Finally, Chapter 7 addresses the question of whether an electric car can be considered a green car, examining the role of green fuel and exploring the concept of a green car.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of the text are: electric vehicles, CO2 emissions, sustainability, renewable energy sources, BEV, PHEV, FCEV, green fuel, green car, life cycle assessment, well-to-wheel efficiency, environmental impact.

• Author: Dr. Eham Al-Ajlouni (Author)
• Publication Year: 2022
• Pages: 43
• Catalog Number: V1271996
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346722447
• ISBN (Book): 9783346722454
• Language: English
• Tags: BEV, Electric car, ER-EV, FCEV, Green fuel, HEV, PHEV, Sustainability