Self-driving electric taxis could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from conventional car travel in the US by 94% in 2030, according to a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

 

These future “robocabs” would be battery-powered and driven without human intervention, picking up and dropping off passengers using automated technologies.

 

Greenhouse gas reductions would be made by running the vehicles from the electricity grid, which by 2030 will use a greater proportion of renewable power. A more tailored array of vehicle sizes, including specialized cars for transporting just one or two people, would also contribute to reduced carbon emissions.

 

Andy Eastlake, managing director of the UK-based Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, agreed that autonomous electric vehicles can provide significant environmental benefits.

 

“There’s no doubt there is an immediate efficiency gain in terms of using electricity as compared to a conventional engine,” he said. “In addition, human drivers are responsible for between 20 and 30% of inefficiencies in vehicles, so the shift to autonomy has the ability to use the car in a very efficient manner.”

 

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, compared four types of vehicles. This included cars with traditional internal combustion engines, hybrid-electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and battery-powered electric vehicles. For each type, greenhouse gas emissions per mile travelled were predicted for 2014, and in 2030.

 

 

PHOTO: The study on the use of electric ‘robocabs’ is based on the Nissan Leaf.

CREDIT: Mike Cassese/Reuters.