Heading towards low-carbon passenger car mobility: electricity vs hydrogen

Abstract

Due to pressing environmental issues, the need to head towards low-carbon mobility is growing. Battery electric- and fuel cell vehicles are considered to be key contributor to the decarbonization of the transport system. The core objective of this paper is to discuss the role of electricity and hydrogen in the decarbonization of passenger car mobility. Firstly, the recent developments, the current state of battery electric and fuel cell cars are described and the major barriers to a broader market penetration are identified. Next, their environmental and economic performance is analyzed in a dynamic scenario up to 2050 for the average of EU-15 countries in comparison to conventional fossil fuels used in internal combustion engine vehicles considering total costs of ownership and possible technological learning, as well as all relevant emissions. The major conclusions are: (i) Battery electric- and fuel cell vehicles could have clear environmental benefits in comparison to conventional cars, if electricity respectively hydrogen used is produced from renewables. (ii) The economic competitiveness of battery electric- and fuel cell vehicles is increasing over time due to technological learning especially regarding the battery and the fuel cells as well as expected prices on CO2. (iii) However, despite the fact that there may be significant progress regarding these alternative automotive technologies, it is obvious that also other strategies are necessary to head towards a sustainable transport sector.