The Vehicle Electrification Group at 黑料正能量 was founded by Professor Jeremy Michalek and Professor Jay Whitacre in 2009 to study systems-level issues of hybrid and plug-in vehicles. We have since expanded to study other vehicle and transportation trends, like ridehailing. Research areas include:
Technology: Vehicle, battery, and electric power systems, design, control and optimization
Life-cycle: economic, environmental, and energy security implications
Behavior: technology adoption and driver behavior
Policy: policy-relevant technical findings and policy analysis
Top Findings: Technology
EV Batteries
Fast-charging EVs can degrade nickel-cobalt batteries quickly; iron batteries take more abuse []
Mobilizing grid-scale energy storage via EV trucks can improve profitability, reduce grid congestion []
Big factories won't make EV batteries cheap [] []
EV batteries degrade faster in hot weather, aggressive driving []
Battery experts see incremental engineering driving near term costs down, not breakthrough technology []
EV range, efficiency are better in mild weather regions [] [] [] []
EV Charging
EVs are cheaper to charge if electricity providers control charging speed [] [] []
Parking Systems
Parking reservation systems increase accommodation in ideal conditions but can make things worse when arrival times are uncertain [, ]
Top Findings: Life Cycle
Environment
EV charging can help make electricity cleaner [][], and smart charging can reverse EV charging emissions []
EV life cycle emissions are trending down, but where they go next depends on battery design and emissions policies [] [] []
Cleaner grid needed in some regions for EVs to beat the cleanest gasoline vehicles []
Where EV carbon footprint beats gasoline (U.S. maps) [] [] [] []
Coal retirement needed for EVs to reduce air pollution in the Chicago-Philly-DC region [] [] []
Charging EVs at night can cause more harm than good [] [] [] [] []
Small-battery plug-in hybrids offer more benefits [] [] [] [].
Economics
When retiring EV batteries: repurpose LFP, recycle NCA, sort NMC []
EV battery supply chain vulnerabilities depend on battery chemistry [] []
Electrifying Uber & Lyft helps climate, hurts traffic & pollution, offers overall externality benefits to society []
Uber and Lyft are cleaning air but clogging streets and increasing climate change [] []
Three studies optimize plug-in vehicle fleets for minimum cost & GHGs [] [] []
Top Findings: Behavior
Electric Vehicle Adoption
Most pickup truck owners are open to EVs if range and cost improve []
Multi-vehicle households adopt EVs more often []
Consumers haven't changed -- technology advancement is driving EV adoption [][]
Drivers may be willing to try other fuels, pay for climate benefits []
China may adopt EVs first [] [] []
Limited residential parking is a barrier to widespread EV adoption [study] [press release]
Vehicle sales predictions hinge on how competitors are represented [] []
Combining sales & survey data can improve understanding of vehicle purchase behavior, under the right conditions []
Consumer preferences for one automobile can be shifted by the presence of another automobile []
For automotive sales forecasts, bias isn't always bad []
Ridehailing
Ridehailing tech mitigates effects of driver racial bias on riders, but residential segregation effects persist [][][]
Uber & Lyft effects on car ownership and transit differ across US cities [][][][]
Autonomous Vehicles
Consumers are willing to pay somewhat less for grocery delivery when autonomous []
Autonomous grocery delivery increases road congestion in many scenarios, but factors like off-peak delivery timing can reverse this effect []
Drones that hitchhike on public buses or use recharging points can have competitive rapid delivery times and greenhouse gas emissions []
Top Findings: Public Policy
EV Policy
US proposal revoking power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle emissions is flawed [public comment][news summary]
US industrial policy may reduce electric vehicle supply chain vulnerabilities []
Transportation policy effects on used car fleet externalities may be smaller than previously assumed []
State zero-emissions vehicle mandates increase GHG emissions due to features in federal standards []
Problems with the rollback of federal car and light truck fuel economy standards [] [public comment]
US alternative fuel vehicle adoption triggers higher-emitting fleets [] []
Public charging infrastructure an expensive way to save gasoline [] [].
Ridehailing Policy
If Uber/Lyft fleets paid the cost of their emissions, they would electrify more [] []
Automotive policy
After state safety inspection mandates were removed, vehicle ownership rose, but travel and gasoline consumption didn't []