Electric vehicle law and policy: a comparative analysis (original) (raw)
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Review of Policies for Promotion of Electric Vehicles
Production Engineering Archives
This paper presents the review of policies and their possible effects for promoting the use of electric vehicles. Suggestions on faster implementation of electric vehicles can also be identified within best practices from abroad. Various countries have adopted different policies to promote the use of electric vehicles which include fiscal or other forms of incentives that would persuade people into buying electric vehicles. Possible effects are hard to determine since many variables affect a consumer’s purchasing decisions. That is why identification of policies that have proven to be successful and those that have not achieved projected results and should be improved is necessary. Research has shown that countries with most promising policies for promotion have the biggest share of electric vehicles and invest the most in their promotion (fiscal incentives).
On the basis of 143 responses from experts and stakeholders from Germany, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, we assess the perceived impact of a range of incentives for the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). We find that the incentive that most respondents consider to have a positive impact is the development of charging infrastructure, with 75% stating so. This is followed by purchase subsidies, to narrow the difference in price of an EV and that of an internal combustion engine vehicle, with 68% of respondents stating that they have a strong or at least a partial positive impact. Pilot/trial/demonstrations of EVs, to expose potential buyers to EVs, are also perceived to have a positive effect, with 66% of respondents stating so. Tax incentives, which like purchase subsidies, narrow the gap between the total operating cost of an EV and that of a conventional vehicle, are also perceived to have a positive impact by 65% of respondents. Other incentives that are perceived to have a positive influence include climate change and air quality policies, consumer information schemes and differential taxation applied to various fuels and energy vectors.
This paper presents data from a comparative study of EV-policies in 8 different North-European countries, that maps out all of the policies of these countries (and a range of regions and cities) that target passenger vehicles (PHEV and BEV), chargers (home, private, public; level 1-3), and policies that target the e-mobility ecosystem or supporting network, in time-period 2012-2014. The main findings are that 1) there is wide variance of policies put out by the different countries, 2) these policies are hardly part of a coherent policy-strategy, and 3) mainly address the introduction of e-mobility as an issue of "piling up" enough incentives to overcome early market problems (e.g. high costs, reticent customers, slow adaptation of regulation). Most countries we studied were able to meet short-term policy-ambitions, and some have even surpassed those ambitions; Netherlands and Norway for instance are ahead of their targets, both in numbers of vehicles and chargers. However,...
Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2019
On the basis of 143 responses from experts and stakeholders from Germany, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, we assess the perceived impact of a range of incentives for the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). We find that the incentive that most respondents consider to have a positive impact is the development of charging infrastructure, with 75% stating so. This is followed by purchase subsidies, to narrow the difference in price of an EV and that of an internal combustion engine vehicle, with 68% of respondents stating that they have a strong or at least a partial positive impact. Pilot/trial/demonstrations of EVs, to expose potential buyers to EVs, are also perceived to have a positive effect, with 66% of respondents stating so. Tax incentives, which like purchase subsidies, narrow the gap between the total operating cost of an EV and that of a conventional vehicle, are also perceived to have a positive impact by 65% of respondents. Other incentives that are 2 perceived to have a positive influence include climate change and air quality policies, consumer information schemes and differential taxation applied to various fuels and energy vectors. Keywords Electric vehicles. Climate change. Air pollution. Charging infrastructure. Purchase subsidies. Tax incentives. Highlights We conduct a questionnaire on incentives for EV uptake with 143 experts and stakeholders from Germany, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK. 75% of respondents perceive charging infrastructure to have a positive impact. 68% of respondents perceive purchase subsidies to have a positive impact. 66% of respondents perceive pilot/trial/demonstrations to have a positive impact. 65% of respondents perceive purchase tax incentives to have a positive impact.
How Policies Affect the Dissemination of Electric Passenger Cars Worldwide
Energies
Road transportation is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions. The EU set the target to reduce overall transport emissions by 60% by 2050 compared to 1990. Electric mobility is considered a proper means to achieve this goal. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are a mature technology. The high investment costs, limited driving range and a charging infrastructure that is not extensive yet are currently the main challenges. This work analyses how policies affect the dissemination of BEVs in selected countries with remarkable market shares of BEVs. The core objective is to investigate how policies affect BEV economics compared to conventional car economics. Financial policies and their effects on BEVs for the major markets of China, the USA and Europe were analysed. To do so, the total cost of ownership (TCO) was calculated for each country. The major conclusions were: (i) The investment cost of a car had the most significant impact on the TCO; (ii) Low TCO as an incentiv...
How policy measures succeeded to promote electric mobility – Worldwide review and outlook
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2019
Electric vehicles (EVs) have been increasingly promoted through policy measures by governments across the world. This study investigates the effectiveness of these measures in 20 countries by measuring the influence of monetary incentives, traffic regulations favoring EVs as well as the charging infrastructure on the market share of EVs in these countries. Results from a covariance-based structural equation model show that all policy measures positively influence the percentage of EVs, specifically monetary measures in interaction with the charging infrastructure. Moreover, findings indicate that governmental measures promoting electric mobility reflect consumers' preferences in the respective countries and that countries with a high purchasing power also have a higher EV penetration. An analysis of the ratio between sold battery electric vehicles (BEVs) versus sold plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) further shows that consumers are purchasing more BEVs (vs. PHEVs) over time. A closer examination of Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil, where EVs have been adopted more or less successfully, further highlights additional factors influencing EV adoption. It also emphasizes the need for collaboration among stakeholders from the public and private sectors in order to promote EVs. Finally, a worldwide outlook predicts a growing acceptance of EVs over time.
Should All Cars Be Electric by 2025? The Electric Car Debate in Europe
Sustainability, 2019
The car is still the most common mode of transport in Western countries, particularly so across the European Union, as it accounts for about two-thirds of daily commuting. So far, measures aiming to reduce automobile traffic and incentives for the modal shift to public transport and non-polluting methods of travel (walking, cycling, etc.) have had little effect. Moreover, the car lies at the core of a very complex system that has proven to be difficult to unlock. In light of these challenges, using new types of engine power may appear to be a solution. Electric vehicles have the potential to improve the efficiency, affordability, and sustainability of the transport system. However, there remains much uncertainty as to how such a transition from one type of engine to another may unfold, and where it could take place within the European context. In June 2017, the H2020 project SHAPE-ENERGY launched an online debate on the Debating Europe platform with the question: "Should all cars be electric by 2025?". The aim of the debate was to elicit citizens views on whether the goal could be reached, how and with which consequences. The diversity of the vantage points that have appeared in the subsequent discussion generated by the strands of debate allows us to bring into discussion the viewpoints and arguments that are not often addressed in the literature on the adoption of electric cars in a comprehensive way. The article sheds light on those debates across Europe, in order to bring new insights to European policymakers that are seeking to promote the market for electric vehicles. It also broadens the scope and offers important contributions to scholarly debates on the diffusion and adoption of such vehicles.
Electric vehicles are an important instrument to decarbonize transportation, offering a range of co-benefits such as reductions in local pollution, noise emissions, and oil dependency. Unfortunately, price, range, infrastructure and technological uncertainty are only some of the barriers to a faster adoption of these vehicles. To overcome these barriers, there is a broad call for public support and a growing body of primarily survey and choice experiment studies to show which policy mechanisms are effective, with mixed outcomes. In response, this paper offers a qualitative comparative analysis that draws on 227 semi-structured interviews with 257 transportation and electricity experts from 201 institutions across 17 cities within the Nordic region to discuss the reasoning and arguments behind EV incentives and policy mechanisms. A frequency analysis of the most coded responses favoured cost reduction mechanisms, in particular taxation exemptions; infrastructure support for public and apartment charging; the importance of consumer awareness, especially information campaigns; certain other specific policy measures like procurement programs and environmental zones; and more general policy principles. More in-depth, our analysis shows the debates around these mechanisms and how the pros and cons of these mechanisms differ per country, per transport segment, per phase of transition or market share, even per city. In short, this paper calls for strong stable national targets and price incentives combined with local flexibility to implement secondary benefits and more attention to awareness campaigns to advance the implementation of electric vehicles.