Newsletter ACERA - Febrero 2018

EDITORIAL
Darío Morales
Study Director
ACERA AG.
Electromobility: limited benefits without a clean energy matrix
An old Spanish adage says that what is obvious is silenced, and
once silenced, forgotten.
As a result of the last Formula E date, carried out in Santiago at
the beginning of February, a lot has been said about the
benefits of electric mobility, but the fact that Chile must have a
clean electric matrix to get the most of such benefits has not
been sufficiently reinforced.
A study conducted by the International Council on Clean
Transportation (ICCT) on emissions during the life cycle of an
electric car, states that with the current energy mix in Europe an
electric car reduces emissions by 30% as compared to the
most efficient combustion car, and by 50% when compared to
the average combustion car moving through that continent.
What is interesting about the abovementioned study is that it
also splits up emission contributions during the manufacture
and operation stages of each technology. Even though it is
stated that these are higher during the process of manufacture
of an electric car than those of a conventional car, it is clear that
they are lower when it comes to operation. However, it should
not be forgotten that the latter depends almost exclusively on
the emission factor of the electricity feeding the car. According
to the study, when compared to a conventional car, an electric
one may reduce emissions in a range “from 28% to 72%,
depending on the local electrical generation mix”.
An article written by investigators from the Tsinghua University
of China and the Argonne National Laboratory of the United
States (Hong Huo, et al.), published by the scientific magazine
Atmospheric Environment in 2015, states something similar.
The hypothesis of the article is that, since the electric car
decreases the demand of fossil fuels but increases the demand
of electric power, the net environmental benefits of
electromobility will depend mainly on the composition of the
electric matrix. Crucial not to forget this.
“Electric vehicles operating in regions where the energy mix is
dominated by coal might even increase emissions, or at best,
limit heavily its benefits”. In the same way, they state that “in
places where an electric car is loaded with 80% of renewable
electricity, it could reduce greenhouse gases by 85%, decrease
SO2 and NOx by more than 75% and particulate matter by
40%”.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that we must move towards
electric mobility, but always bearing in mind that this is not an
end in itself, but a means to advance along the path of
sustainable development, and having a clean electric supply is a
fundamental requirement. Another challenge to achieving a
100% Renewable Chile.