Green Transportation: Co-benefits for Climate, Air Quality, and the Economy

A Harvard-China Project Research Seminar with WU Ye, Professor, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Executive Deputy Director, Beijing Laboratory of Environment Frontier, China

Abstract: Electric vehicle (EV) promotion is a key strategy to improve air quality and address climate change. As the world’s largest manufacturer of EVs and batteries, China’s rapid development in both passenger and commercial fleets has also facilitated the global electrification transition. The promotion of electric vehicles must balance cost viability and environmental benefits, and notable variations across different use scenarios. Air quality benefits depend on the amount and spatiotemporal distribution of pollutant emission reductions, whereas climate benefits should be assessed from a life-cycle perspective across EV and battery supply chains.

This talk will involve recent data research on real-world carbon footprints, air pollutant emissions, traffic activity, and cost to quantify the carbon reduction, pollution mitigation, and economic characteristics of EVs and batteries. Next, it will present case studies of two megacities, Shanghai and Chengdu, evaluating the air quality benefits and costs of different electric truck fleets informed by real-world usage data. For example, it will introduce the real case of road right policy design which has enhanced the economic competitiveness of electric trucks while generating considerable air quality improvements.