Carbon emissions of plug-in electric vehicles in Malta : a policy review

Abstract

Malta is committed to reaching 5000 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) on the road by 2020 in line with its EU obligations. A scheme was recently announced aimed at encouraging ownership of electric vehicles, reducing the number of old motor vehicles from the road and thus reducing emissions. The scheme comprises a grant of €4000 to persons registering an electric vehicle, increasing to €5000 in the case of persons registering for an electric vehicle while at the same time de-registering their own vehicle, if it is at least 10 years old. The unique problem in Malta is that as much as 98% of electricity generation is produced from combustion of fossil fuels, mainly heavy fuel oil and diesel oil. The combustion of fossil fuels results in significant environment impacts, particularly in emission of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Against this background, the energy consumption of two locally available battery electric vehicles in the super-mini category is analyzed, taking into account the CO2 generation characteristics of the Maltese electric power plants. Their performance is compared with that of vehicles in the same category, powered by different fuels. This paper determines that the benefits of driving BEVs in Malta depend on the electricity mix at the point of charging, and with the existing electricity mix. Three scenarios are analyzed and in the case where the energy mix is dependent on natural gas, this study shows that the CO2 emissions of BEVs are considerably less than for either hybrid or vehicle powered by conventional fuel.