Electric vehicle adoption and utilization of renewable energy in U.S.: Sensitivity analysis of electricity tariffs and emission pricing

The sustainable future growth of electric vehicle (EV) adoption is dependent on tariffication and emission pricing policies for energy exchange with the grid when renewable energy is to assist with managing electricity load. The aim of this study is to examine the sensitivity of time-of-use electricity (TOU) tariff, feed-in tariff (FIT), and CO 2 emission pricing for EV adoption based on utilization of on-grid renewable energy system (RES) for San Diego, Seattle, Boston, and Colorado Springs with different renewable energy potentials in the U.S. Based on optimization of economic cost function for ownership and operation, the optimal on-grid RES capacities to serve as integrated charging infrastructure for battery and hydrogen-fuel cell EVs are determined. The simulation results show that lowering the capital cost of the on-grid RES by 10–20% in combination with offering a more encouraging FIT program could result in desirable support for EV adoption. It is concluded that the current carbon pricing program is ineffective for constraining fossil fuel consumption and promoting the integration of on-grid renewable energy.