Switching to EVs will save nearly everyone money and reduce carbon emissions, study says

EV charging stations

There are about 102,000 public electric vehicle charging outlets across about 42,000 charging stations nationwide, according to the Department of Energy, with a third concentrated in California. In comparison, Michigan is home to just 1.5% of the nation's public charging outlets at 1,542 charging outlets.TNS

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Most U.S. households that own a vehicle would save money on their transportation energy costs if they switched to electric vehicles, according to recent research.

New research from the University of Michigan shows more than 90% of households with a vehicle would see a drop in the percentage of their income spent on fueling that vehicle, if they choose EVs over those that burn gasoline. That’s in addition to reducing their carbon footprint.

But the study also showed more than half of the lowest-income Americans – an estimated 8.3 million U.S. households – would continue to have a high transportation energy burden. That means the household would spend more than 4% of its income on filling the gas tank or charging up an EV.

“There’s overall a clear benefit for transition to EVs, both in terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction, as well as lower percentage of your income spent on fueling. However, there’s a good portion of low-income households that although they see a reduction in their burden, it’s still high,” said Greg Keoleian, study senior author and director of U-M’s Center for Sustainable Systems.

In Michigan, the study showed that motorists could cut their transportation energy costs as much as in half.

“The average car out there on the road in Michigan, when you compare it with a new battery electric vehicle, we’re going to see between 25% and 50% reduction in the in the cost of fueling,” Keoleian said.

Joshua Newell, an urban geographer at U-M, said the study confirms the potential for widespread benefits from EV adoption but many vehicle owners are being left out of the benefits.

“EV ownership in the U.S. has thus far been dominated by households with higher incomes and education levels, leaving the most vulnerable populations behind. Policy interventions are needed to increase EV accessibility so that all Americans can benefit from the EV transition,” Newell said.

The new study published today in Environmental Research Letters, an academic journal. It is the first study to consider both EV energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions across the geography of the country.

Officials said it’s also the first study to examine EV energy costs in terms of equity and distributive justice by calculating the EV energy burden for the entire United States. The study did not factor the purchase cost of EVs in the analysis.

Researchers found that if cars, SUVs, and pickups across the country were replaced with new EVs, transportation energy burdens and greenhouse gas emissions would vary widely from place to place.

Both reductions in burden and emissions would be the strongest along the West Coast and in the Northeast because of lower electricity prices and energy grids powered by cleaner sources.

Eight percent of U.S. households would experience only a low savings with an EV for both transportation energy burden and carbon emissions. About half of those 9.6 million households are in the Midwest, including Michigan.

The most challenging EV transportation energy burden, from 10% to 64%, would remain for the lowest-income households and would mostly be found in the Midwest and the two states with the costliest electricity: Hawaii and Alaska.

Keoleian said factors in calculating EV savings include cold winter temperatures that impact battery performance, electrical grids that largely depend on fossil fuel power generation, and electricity prices that are higher relative to gasoline prices.

He also said that as the nation’s grid continues to decarbonize and improvements are made to enhance EV charging accessibility, additional gains will be made in emissions reductions and lowered transportation energy burden.

Currently, EVs account for about 1% of cars, SUVs, and pickups on the road in the United States.

Meanwhile, carbon emissions from transportation account for about 16% of the nation’s total – the largest source. Scientists consider electrification as the primary way to drop those emissions.

Carbon emissions lead to global warming through the greenhouse effect, which drives the worsening climate crisis.

Related articles:

Greenhouse gas emissions drop nearly two-thirds when motorists switch to EV pickups or SUVs

Major EV battery testing upgrade developed at University of Michigan

Consumers Energy will add 200 vehicle charging stations across Michigan

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.