Eco-Efficiency Assessment Of Electric Vehicles In The European Union Countries: The Case Of Mix-Sources Of Energy

Abstract

European Union (EU) member states have considered the environmental impacts of transportation and have prompted Electric Vehicle (EV) usage as one of the technological advancements that could reduce emissions and energy and water consumption. However, this depends on how EVs react to eco-friendly behaviors during their life cycle. The research utilizes a combined life cycle assessment (LCA) and a principal component analysis (PCA) technique to assess the eco-efficiency performance of EVs in EU member states. Considering the energy mix for electricity generation, three environmental indicators (GHG emission, water consumption, and energy consumption) and one economical (contribution to GDP) indicator were used to compute the eco-efficiency scores for 28 EU member states. First, the values for each environmental and economic indicators were obtained. The eco-efficiency scores for each corresponding EU member states were then calculated and compared. From the results of the eco-efficiency analysis, Belgium was found to have the highest eco-efficiency score, while Estonia was tagged to be the least eco-efficient country