Real-World Electricity Consumption Properties of Ultra-Compact Electric Vehicles

Abstract

This study investigated the electricity consumption properties of ultra-compact electric vehicles (UCEVs) in the real world. Vehicle running data collected in a social experiment of UCEVs implemented in Kato City, Japan, were used for an empirical study. The major findings suggest: 1) the average electricity consumption rate of UCEVs is 89.8 Wh/km; 2) UCEVs can reduce the CO₂ emissions from vehicle use by approximately 67.0%; 3) gasoline cost savings amount by adopting UCEVs varies from 9,000 to 86,000 Yen annually for participants owning gasoline cars; 4) UCEVs have a lower maximal and average speeds than gasoline cars.