Transport Electrification: Opportunities and Future Challenges

Abstract

In 2016, transport emissions (mainly involving roads, railways, aviation and maritime transport) accounted for more than 24% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It is also expected to grow faster than any other sector, which poses a major challenge to efforts to reduce emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement and other global goals. Each year there is a remarkable growth in vehicles that emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases, which highly contribute to climate change. So, it is essential to reduce carbon emissions by changing transport. Electric cars, trucks, and buses produce no tailpipe emissions and thus help reduce local air pollution. Moreover, buses typically run on diesel fuel or compressed natural gas, emitting nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide that reduce air quality and are eliminated by electrification. The theme of this paper is to study the fundamental reasons and limitations of the electrification of transport. The research methods of this paper are as follows: Firstly, search relevant documents and obtain information that can use. Secondly, sort out information and then conclude. Research shows that the need for electrification of transport is because it is environmentally friendly, has lower costs for customers compared to conventional vehicles, and gives benefits to the power grid. However, several limitations that are inevitable and hard to be solved in a short period are brakes to the development of electric vehicles (EVs). Although the ultimate shift from internal combustion vehicles (ICEs) to EVs is inevitable, the market structure is fragmented, complex and emergent.