SAE Update - August 2021 - 17

Electrifying our vehicles
and improving mobility
FOCUS:
ELECTRIFIED VEHICLES
VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION BY THE NUMBERS
Transportation Sector's Contribution to US GHG Emissions (2020)
Power Generation Sector's Contribution to US GHG Emissions (2020)
Current Renewable Electrical Energy Production (2020)
New US LD Vehicle Sales (2019)
EV Sales as Percentage of US LD Sales (2020)
Number of Commodities on US Federal Government's List of Critical Minerals (2018)
Number of Battery Cell Production Facilities Required to Fully Electrify all New LD Vehicles
(at 30-35 GWh/year each)
Total Fleet VMT in the US (2020)
Additional Electrical Energy Generation Required to Electrify all VMT - LD, MD, and HD (2020)
Future Increase in Electrical Energy Generation Capacity Required to Electrify all VMT (at 2020 levels)
among many others. A full mobility system
optimization is required, but this is not
something that we are used to performing.
We are typically accustomed to operating
within a system in which a large number of
economically selfish decisions are made by
OEMs, purchasers, and operators alike.
Optimizing the full automotive and
mobility system for a particular singular
goal-in this case decarbonization-that is
not central to the decision-making of any
one sub-agent, presents an interesting
problem. OEMs wish to maximize profits
for their shareholders, owners seek to
minimize their total cost of ownership for
the given utility of their vehicle, drivers
wish to minimize their time spent driving
while maximizing convenience and utility,
while society requires beneficial
environmental, accessibility, economic, and
social mobility outcomes.
Materials availability, recharging
UPDATE
29%
25%
12.4%
17.0M
~3%
35
45-50
3.26 T miles
1.36 T kWh
~34%
convenience, the stranded cost and
longevity of the existing fleet, and the
availability of renewable energy remain
problematic issues. Long haul trucking (and
separately marine and aviation) remain
recalcitrant to full electrification.
We are early into a multi-decadal smart
mobility system transition, although
transportation based on zero-carbon,
renewably based energy is within our reach.
Beyond decarbonization, much more
remains to be done in the automotive realm
on vehicle and traffic safety, vehicle
automation, connectivity, and integration
with emerging modes of smart mobility.
Only then can we achieve the goal of low
environmental impact, full social and
economic mobility, and improved equity
and access for all. The automotive industry
has much to contribute in this battle, and a
bright future ahead. n
August 2021
17
SAE Update - August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - August 2021
