South Korea's electric vehicle market, whose growth has been accelerating since 2015, is not only driving changes in the sales of electric vehicles, but also in the electric power market.
This study focuses on the air pollutant emissions caused by th...
South Korea's electric vehicle market, whose growth has been accelerating since 2015, is not only driving changes in the sales of electric vehicles, but also in the electric power market.
This study focuses on the air pollutant emissions caused by this diffusion of electric vehicles, based on the share of such vehicles in the passenger car market.
It uses a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. In addition, based on the Bank of Korea's input-output statement, this study aimed to reflect the effects on the market share of electric vehicles. This research will allow us to quantitatively observe changes in the air pollutant emissions of electric vehicles as the market grows rapidly.
Based on the CGE model, we analyzed policy scenarios in line with South Korea's roadmap for encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles. In addition, scenarios were analyzed considering different fuels to identify the ones that represent the most efficient reduction in emissions when replacing electric vehicles. Scenario results revealed that air pollution emissions from the transportation sector will decrease due to the spread of electric vehicles, but the primary metal industry associated with the battery industry will undergo expansion as the industry grows rapidly due to the production of electric vehicles. Accordingly, the four air pollutants, SOx, TSP, PM10, and PM2.5 were derived from the increase in air pollutants caused by the spread of electric vehicles, and the NOx and NH3 sectors also showed that much of the reduction effect expected by the transportation sector was offset by the emissions of other industries.
This research reveals that only the transportation sector lacks quantitative changes to observe changes in the emission levels of air pollutants caused by the spread of electric vehicles, and that the calculation of emission levels should also consider the linkages among various industries. If the current industrial structure continues, the transportation sector’s policies to reduce emissions will instead increase the overall amount of air pollutants.
This study suggests that direct and indirect effects of the industry as a whole should be considered to reduce emissions of air pollutants.