A Financial Times article examining the sometimes-ambiguous environmental benefits of electric vehicles in China, whose energy market has yet to fully transition out of being fossil fuel-dominated, cites the findings of a China Project study conducted jointly by Harvard University and Tsinghua University researchers, including Project Chair Prof. Michael B. MCELROY, Executive Director Chris P. NIELSEN, postdoc Xinyu CHEN, and visiting fellow Jiajun LV. The study was recently published in Nature Energy and was, in addition, the subject of a press release from the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The research team found that private electric vehicles in China can have a positive effect on CO2 reduction if owners can be incentivized to slowly charge vehicles during off-peak hours, allowing for more effective use of wind-generated power. Quickly charging vehicles in the higher energy “fast mode”, on the other hand, can be counterproductive.