Economic and ecological aspects of electro- mobility in commercial fleet operations

Research output: ThesisMaster's Thesis

Abstract

Within the framework of the climate and energy policy, the European Union has set itself the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% within all sectors by 2030 compared to the reference year 1990. With almost one percent growth in CO2 emissions per year and close to 30% of total energy consumption, the transport sector reflects the highest growth rate and the lowest efficiency increase at the same time. To counter this trend, emissions from the transport sector should be cut by 36% until 2030. To achieve this goal more energy-efficient vehicles and ideally, zero-emission vehicles, are required. Above all, battery electric vehicles offer the advantage of local emission-free driving and, with the use of locally produced renewable energy, increased independence from imports of various energy sources. In particular for the commercial sector, which accounts for around two thirds of all new registrations in Austria, there is great potential for the integration of electrified vehicles. In economic sectors, in which only short to medium-long distances are covered, electric vehicles can already be integrated without any restrictions. However, problems such as limited range and insufficient knowledge of the aging behaviour of the batteries, represent a major obstacle to the acquisition of this vehicle class. In cooperation with the BMW Vertriebs GmbH and the financial service provider Alphabet Austria, the aim of this thesis is to investigate the economic advantages of the integration of electric vehicles into a company fleet. This evaluation is based on a total cost of ownership model (TCO), which intends to compare the total costs of electric vehicles with conventional vehicles. This calculation tool should provide a first quick analysis with proper and actual values from the automotive sector. Different approaches and analyses are also taking into account the CO2 emissions in relation to the individual stages of a vehicle's life in order to assess the ecological point of view. Results from various international studies and the calculations based on the developed TCO tool show, that the electrification of the vehicle fleet can lead to significant savings for both employers and employees and to clear competitive advantages in the long term.

Details

Original languageEnglish
QualificationDipl.-Ing.
Awarding Institution
Supervisors/Advisors
Award date25 Jun 2021
Publication statusPublished - 2021