Analysis of Pollutants Emission into the Air at the Stage of an Electric Vehicle Operation

Marczak, Halina; Dróździel, Paweł · 2021 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.12911/22998993/140256

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study evaluates the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the operational stage of electric vehicles (EVs) in Poland, where coal is the primary energy source for electricity generation. The research addresses the misconception that EVs are emission-free by analyzing the indirect emissions resulting from the electricity production and distribution required for vehicle charging. The authors aim to determine how the efficiency of thermal power plants and the structure of Poland’s energy mix impact the overall environmental balance of EVs compared to conventional diesel vehicles. The methodology involved calculating CO2 emissions based on technical data from electric vehicles, CO2 emission factors from coal combustion in Polish thermal power plants, and national electricity production statistics from 2019. The analysis accounted for the net efficiency of electricity generation (averaging 38.1%) and transmission losses (5.6%). The authors calculated the CO2 emission factor per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity consumed from the grid, considering the specific calorific values and emission factors for hard coal and lignite. For comparison, the study also assessed the operational emissions of a diesel passenger car (Opel Astra 1.5D), including both direct tailpipe emissions and indirect emissions from diesel fuel production. The results indicate that current EVs in Poland consume 0.14–0.16 kWh/km, resulting in indirect CO2 emissions of 100.94–115.36 g/km. This exceeds the EU regulatory limit of 95 g/km for new passenger vehicles effective from January 2020. The study found that increasing the net efficiency of coal-fired power plants from 38% to 46% would reduce EV emissions by over 17%. In contrast, increasing the share of hard coal in the energy mix had a negligible effect, reducing emissions by only approximately 2.6%. For the diesel vehicle, total operational emissions (including fuel production) ranged from 166.64 to 178.92 g/km, with direct vehicle use accounting for over 78% of this total. The significance of this work lies in highlighting that the environmental benefit of EVs in coal-dependent regions is contingent upon the efficiency of the electricity generation infrastructure. The authors conclude that constructing highly efficient, low-emission thermal power units and increasing renewable energy production are critical strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of electric transportation in Poland. The findings provide a benchmark for comparing the environmental impact of different primary energy sources and underscore the importance of grid decarbonization in achieving sustainable transport goals.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• eco driving