The future air quality impact of electric vehicle promotion and coordinated charging in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 332; p. 121928
• Main Authors: Jiang, Yiliang, Liang, Xinyu, Zhang, Shaojun, Hu, Zechun, Hove, Anders, Wu, Ye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Air quality improvement; Coordinated charging; Fleet electrification; GHG abatement; Renewable energy; Coordinated charging; Air quality improvement; Renewable energy; Fleet electrification; GHG abatement
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121928

The synergetic benefit of air quality improvements together with greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigations from fleet electrification can be maximized if the power used for electric vehicles (EVs) is from renewables. The worth-noting mismatch between renewable power generation and EV fleet charging demand requires appropriate coordination strategy. Here, we analyze the environmental benefits from increased EVs penetration in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) regions by integrating various scenarios of fleet electrification with coordinated charging strategies to examine the air quality improvement and GHG abatement. The study found that fleet electrification could bring substantial reduction on urban PM2.5 in BTH, especially in December by 0.8 ± 0.5 μg/m3. The coordinated charging strategy could further improve the air quality in BTH, albeit smaller than that of fleet electrification itself. PM2.5 reduction benefit from EV adoption could be significantly more pronouncing when ammonia emission reduction was considered, by more than 0.3 μg/m3 in both December and July, validating the great significance of vehicle NH3 emission control and the necessity of prioritizing the electrification of high ammonia emitting fleet. The outcome of this study helps to formulate the effective on-road transportation pollutant abatement strategies and offers technological support for policy makers to conduct more sensible sequence of future fleet electrification process. [Display omitted] •We integrate a model to quantify the air quality impact from EV charging coordination.•Implementation of hourly power mixes based on electrification and charging scenarios.•EV promotion shows regional air quality benefits in reducing PM2.5 concentrations.•We Characterize the PM2.5 benefit from vehicular NH3 abatement.