Electric Vehicles: Technology, Economics, Environment and Policy

Catalog description

In this course, students will read academic literature, government documents, and popular press to develop a broad understanding of the technology, economic, environmental and policy dimensions of electric vehicles. Topics may include (1) TECHNOLOGY: Battery technology, design, application, degradation and innovation; electric vehicle technologies and designs; the electric power grid; (2) ECONOMICS: cost; consumer behavior; infrastructure; electricity dispatch; automotive externalities; the Gruenspecht effect; (3) ENVIRONMENT: life cycle assessment; air pollution; greenhouse gas emissions; marginal grid emission factors; renewables; vehicle to grid; hydrogen; (4) POLICY: effectiveness, efficiency, uncertainty and equity; short-run versus long-run effects; fleet standards; incentives; mandates; policy interactions; intellectual property; and policies in the US, China, EU, Japan, and local jurisdictions. Fundamentals covered at an introductory level to support readings may include time value of money, economies of scale, social welfare analysis, externalities, valuation of reduced mortality risk; choice modeling, regression, life cycle assessment, optimization, game theory, and other topics. Fluency with algebra and calculus is assumed.