Our Research
Electric Vehicles-to-Minigrids Integration (V2MG): A Way out of the Energy and Financial Poverty trap
Discussions on using electric vehicles as distributed energy resources have become ubiquitous, but few have grasped the profound financial benefits that they could bring to the less fortunate. MDE was founded on the premise that integrating EVs with the current energy system could revolutionize the accessibility and affordability of electricity while providing transportation conducive to economic development. In this report we show the impact of electric two-wheelers on the economics of minigrids in markets with energy access deficits. Our analysis suggests that the potential value of vehicle-to-minigrid integration (V2MG) is enormous. In emerging markets, integrating electric two-wheelers with minigrids would be life changing: • Lowering the cost of energy by ~40% over the best-in-class minigrid, bringing it on par with national grid costs, thereby creating access, where there was none before, to affordable electricity, • Enabling transportation-facilitated economic development by providing affordable (and green) transportation where there is none today, supporting a fleet of 30 million EVs, • Mutually reinforcing adoption of electric vehicles and minigrids, • Reducing the investment required to reach full electrification (10%, or $25 billion for 58 countries with energy access deficit), • Supporting green growth, and • Speeding the energy transition on a global scale.
Inclusion and Equity in the Energy Transition
Our keynote address to the National Science Foundation’s Center for Efficient Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation Systems focuses on the challenges faced by the developed world. We highlight and provide evidence of the extent to which many, even in the developed world, have been left behind in the energy transition. We explore how bidirectional Electric Vehicles (EVs) have the potential to revolutionize the way we think about energy and about socio-economics. By emphasizing their capability, we argue that EVs can deliver market-driven, scalable and economically self-sustaining solutions; solutions that don’t need continuous subsidies or charity. Ultimately, we posit that decarbonization emerges as an enabler for environmental justice and social equity, and vice versa, rather than an obstacle.
The Future of Electric Vehicles: The EV Ecosystem and Society
Rachel Meidl, a fellow in energy and environment at Rice University's Baker Institute, and Michelle Michot Foss, the fellow in energy, minerals and materials at Rice University's Baker Institute, sat down with Robert Kleinbaum to address the challenges of electrifying transport. Although spanning various subjects, their discussion focused on emerging views on the “EV ecosystem”. Many fear that the global energy transition will leave the poorest and most vulnerable — those who can’t afford new technologies like electric vehicles (EVs) — behind. Even in the U.S., over a third of the population can’t afford EVs or easily access charging stations. In other parts of the world, vast segments of the population still live without electricity and are trapped in extreme energy poverty. These people continue to rely on coal and wood, the energy sources with the gravest health and environmental consequences. In this webinar, key questions were raised. How can we develop solutions that are economically self-sustaining, can scale rapidly and do not require ongoing subsidy or charity? How do we ensure the energy transition leaves no one behind and, in doing so, improve energy equity? Creative solutions are needed to accelerate the energy transition and ensure that electric vehicles and the surrounding ecosystem of services and products are accessible and affordable for all.