E-Mobility: Transportation Sector in Transition

The fossil fuel-based transportation sector is not only the fastest-growing sector but also an unsustainable one and contributes critically toward emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide along with other harmful pollutants such as “Carbon Black.” This emission of “Carbon Black” is short-lived in comparison to carbon dioxide; however, it impacts climate severely because of its strong immediate heating effects. Furthermore, the conventional transportation system also emits other particulate matter into the atmosphere that causes air pollution and associated health issues. Thus, the aforementioned negative consequences of fossil-based transport system make it central to the energy and climate challenge. Therefore, the most practical and sustainable solution for effective mitigation of climate change and energy security concerns is the electrification of the transportation sector—a paradigm shift in the conventional mobility sector. As the electric power system is already in transition and experiencing its own paradigm shift—Smart(er) Grid—“Transportation Electrification” is thus the timely development for introducing a paradigm shift in the mobility sector. The vision of electrified mobility is to lower the environmental footprint of the transportation sector, which further demands the utilization of more renewable energy resource-based generation mix in the electricity grid—“Greener Grid.” Thus, in this chapter, we explain the potential of transportation electrification for reducing the harmful climatic emissions and the nexus of energy and economy with electric mobility. The contrasting narrative of direct and indirect electrification with structural changes is further discussed with implications on cross-sectoral balance. We then provide an overview of the V2X horizon which includes vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-home, and building technology concepts. Moreover, we also investigate the concept of “smart vehicles” with the incorporation of “Artificial Intelligence” and some key enabling yet transdisciplinary technologies. Lastly, we present innovative alternative solutions for fueling the vehicles and the main trends, challenges, and future research directions in electric mobility transformation.