Carbon abatement costs are negative for many electric vehicles across U.S. cities

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Electric vehicles are a critical technology for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector. Price is a major barrier for widespread electric vehicle adoption. Here we conduct a life cycle assessment and a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles across five vehicle classes, with five different charging strategies, in 20 U.S. cities. We find that battery electric vehicles have the lowest life cycle GHG emissions of any powertrain across all vehicle classes, locations, and charging strategies. In contrast, the powertrain with the lowest TCO depends on the class, location, and charging pattern. By quantifying both GHG emissions and TCO, we calculate the abatement cost of different vehicle choices – the emissions reductions per dollar spent. We find that small and midsize battery electric vehicles have negative carbon abatement costs over their lifetimes in most locations. These vehicles have both lower GHG emissions and lower total cost than conventional alternatives. For larger vehicles the locations with a negative abatement cost are limited; however, the abatement cost remains below most social cost of carbon estimates, suggesting electrification is a cost-effective GHG reduction strategy.</p>