How much carbon emissions would robot taxis save?
Efficiency gains per mile travelled could be immense, according to a new study. A paper published today in Nature Climate Change examines the effect to greenhouse gas emissions if another automotive niche converted to a more climate-friendly fleet: what might happen if, in 2030, US taxis were all self-driving, battery-powered EVs?
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Autonomous Taxis could use 45 percent less energy
Not all journeys are equal; their efficiency can depend upon how many people are in the car. To factor this in, Greenblatt and Saxena used 2009 data that breaks down vehicle occupancy per mile travelled. These stats were used to calculate the actual energy savings possible for autonomous battery EV taxis, assuming an autonomous taxi travels 40,000 miles per year compared to a fleet average of 12,000 miles per year. Their weighted average (1.6 passengers per mile) suggests that autonomous taxis would use 45 percent less energy than the average light vehicle in 2030.
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