Anthropogenic Heat Due to Road Transport: A Mesoscopic Assessment and Mitigation Potential of Electric Vehicles and Autonomous Vehicles in Singapore

Abstract

The objective of this work is to evaluate the heat mitigation strength on a city-scale of electri cation and automation of the road transport sector. We present a case study for the city of Singapore examining the spatio-temporal pro le of the heat emissions due to road transport for a typical day. We calibrate and validate our simulation model which is later used for analysis of future electri cation and automation scenarios. Furthermore, we also evaluate the temporal energy demand associated with the electri cation of transport and assess the heat released for the production of this energy. Our results show a sixfold decrease of the energy usage of the road transport sector in case of a complete electri cation of all vehicle classes, which include lorries and vans, private vehicles, taxis, buses, and motorcycles. Lastly, we study the e ects the presence of autonomous vehicles might have on the amount of heat produced by road transit. While autonomous mobility greatly reduces the overall trip durations as it mitigates congestion, the energy consumption of the sector remains almost unchanged compared to the fully electric scenario.