Assessment of selected environmental and economic factors for the development of electro-mobility in Poland

Abstract

Electromobility is now widely recognized as a remedy for the growing level of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. The result of this approach is the agreement of the European Commission with the member states regarding the achievement of CO2-free emission of the new fleet of passenger cars by 2035 through the use of battery electric vehicles. However, it should be emphasized that currently, not every country in the European Union has electricity sources with low CO2 emission (Proposal for a REGULATION… (EU) 2019/631), which in fact can contribute to a lower environmental effect than expected. The amount of environmental impact of a battery electric vehicle depends mainly on the type of energy mix of the country in which it is used. In view of the above, the first scientific objective of the article is a comparative assessment of environmental impact, using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), the phase of use of passenger cars with conventional drive in relation to battery electric vehicles consuming electricity from the power grid in Poland and in Italy. The results of the LCA analysis, phases of BEV use in Poland indicate a higher level of environmental impact in relation to ICE due to the generation of electricity, for the most part from hard coal. Nevertheless, in Poland, as in other EU countries, an electromobility support system is being implemented. The successful implementation of electromobility depends on the environmental awareness of BEV users. The scientific cognitive aspect of the BEV purchase decisions of the Polish society is carried out using a survey questionnaire with the use of a non-random selection of the research sample (convenient selection). The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to confront the results of the environmental impact of the BEV use phase with the knowledge of the Polish society, as well as to learn about purchasing factors (future and current users). The results of the survey questionnaire demonstrate the low level of knowledge of the Polish society on the impact of the BEV use phase in Poland. This can be the result of media coverage in which BEV is presented as ecological transport. The aim of the article is not to depreciate the environmental performance of BEVs, but to draw attention to the fact that, to a large extent, the environmental impact of the BEV use phase depends on the place of use (country), and precisely the type of energy mix of a particular country. The literature on the subject lacks the confrontation of the results of scientific research in the field of environmental impact assessment of the BEV use phase with the knowledge of the public on this subject. The research results can be used by decision makers to properly target the support for the development of electromobility in Poland, consisting primarily in increasing the availability of infrastructure for charging BEV and changing the energy mix to energy sources with a lower environmental impact.