Feature
Purchase subsidy schemes for electric cars: good value for money for society?
Philippe CRIST Administrator, International Transport Forum at the OECD. Associate Member of the Technical Committee 1.3 on Climate Change and Sustainability
Private and public costs of electric versus fossil-fuelled cars
Electric vehicles have generated renewed interest in recent years as concerns about energy security, climate change and air pollution have motivated governments and manufacturers to consider alternative transport energy pathways. Recent estimates put the global electric vehicle fleet at over 120 million units (primarily electric bicycles and scooters in China), with the most popular electric car models achieving global sales of approximately 44,000 units in 2011. These numbers may increase as more electric cars become commercially available, but real questions remain regarding consumers' ultimate uptake of battery electric cars.