The effect of an electrified mobility on the relationship between traffic conditions and energy consumption

Decreasing road transport's harmful effects on environment and health and reducing road accidents are major policy priorities. Several technology options could drastically improve air quality, reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions of road vehicles. The current trend is directed towards Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) and Electric Freight Vehicles (EFVs), supported by improved performance and energy efficiency through connectivity and automation technologies. While waiting for the total transition from Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs) to the alternative technologies, it is important to understand how Intelligent Transport Systems and other traffic –related measures can contribute to the reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, it is a common assumption that as soon as congestion is removed or mitigated also transport related externalities are reduced. The objective of the present paper is to study whether the above assumption is still true for the new technologies that are being introduced in modern vehicles. In particular, the paper performs an energy consumption related comparison over different vehicle trajectories, and under congested and free flow conditions. Results are presented based on real and simulated data for four powertrain-vehicle combinations. The calculations are done with two vehicle simulators: the VT-CPEM model for EVs and EFVs and the CO2MPAS vehicle simulator for the ICEVs. The general trend of the energy and fuel consumption versus. speed for the case studies analyzed is also reported. Results show that moving from ICEVs to EVs/EFVs, the relationship between congestion and energy consumption can change with higher energy consumption connected to an increased average traffic speed.JRC.C.4-Sustainable Transpor