Car Sharing: The Key to Cheap, Clean Mobility
Car sharing is emerging as a sustainable mobility solution, with potential to reduce emissions and costs compared to private vehicles. However, aligning charging times with both cheap and clean electricity presents challenges for users and the grid.
Car sharing can significantly cut emissions and costs. Even with nighttime charging, it outperforms private vehicles. Charging at the cheapest time reduces costs by 21%, while choosing the most climate-friendly time slashes emissions by up to 82%.
Real-time information on electricity prices and emissions is crucial for informed charging decisions. Dynamic load management, a recommended method, optimizes electricity use. It measures real-time power capacity, flexibly allocating it among charging stations based on demand. This approach enables cost-effective charging during green energy peaks, like midday solar power.
A dynamic carbon tax on electricity, set at 30 cents per kilogram of CO2, can align price and emissions signals. Advancing technology and smart policy can bridge the gap between charging costs and emissions.
Car-share users face unique challenges in aligning charging times with low-carbon electricity. Minimizing charging costs and emissions are conflicting goals for electric car users. Adding more solar power to the grid can help align cheap electricity with clean electricity. The shift to electric vehicles requires grid investments to ensure adequate electricity supply. EVs and car sharing complement each other in sustainable mobility.
Car sharing can reduce emissions and costs, but aligning charging times with both cheap and clean electricity is challenging. Dynamic load management and a dynamic carbon tax can help. More solar power and grid investments are needed to support the shift to electric vehicles and car sharing.
