Abstract:

The widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is frequently mentioned to lessen the transportation sector's climate impact. BEVs emit considerable greenhouse gas during production and afterward through the energy used for charging. A shift in charging behavior could substantially reduce emissions if aligned with the fluctuating availability of renewable energy. Financial incentives and environmental appeals have been discussed as potential means to achieve this. The authors report evidence from a randomized controlled trial in which cost-free and “green” charging was advertised via email notifications to customers of a charging service provider. Emails invited to charge during mid-day hours (11:00 to 15:00) of days with high predicted shares of renewable energy. Results show a significant increase in the number of charging processes in the critical time and the amount of energy charged (kWh), despite only marginal monetary savings of 5€ on average. A further increase in kWh charged was observed on weekends. Under the assumption that these charging processes replaced regular overnight charging at home, this represents a reduction in CO2 emissions of over 50%. The study provides the first evidence from a field experiment that a combination of financial and environmental incentives can reduce emissions from BEVs.