No. 31: Cost-efficient transition to clean energy transportation services

Jahr: 2020
Typ: Working Paper

Abstract

Comprehensive global decarbonization will require that transportation services cease to rely on fossil fuels. Here we develop a generic life-cycle cost model to address two closely related questions central to the emergence of sustainable transportation: (i) the utilization rates (hours of operation) that rank-order alternative drivetrains in terms of their cost, and (ii) the cost-efficient share of clean energy drivetrains in a vehicle fleet of competing drivetrains. Calibrating our model framework in the context of urban transit buses, we examine how the comparison between diesel and battery-electric buses varies with the specifics of the duty cycle (route). We find that even for less favorable duty cycles, battery-electric buses will entail lower life-cycle costs once utilization rates exceed 20% of the annual hours. Yet, the current economics of that particular application still calls for a one-third share of diesel drivetrains in a cost-efficient fleet.

Beteiligte Institutionen

Die Hauptstandorte vom TRR 266 sind die Universität Paderborn (Sprecherhochschule), die HU Berlin und die Universität Mannheim. Alle drei Standorte sind seit vielen Jahren Zentren für Rechnungswesen- und Steuerforschung. Hinzu kommen Wissenschaftler der LMU München, der Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, der Universität zu Köln und der Leibniz Universität Hannover, die die gleiche Forschungsagenda verfolgen.