Form Submission: Participation Entry

Nearly every fifth ton of US carbon dioxide comes from a light-duty vehicle (LDV). Integrated energy models are commonly used to explore cost-effective decarbonization pathways of the LDV sector. However, integrated modeling exercises in the past did not explore the entire suite of mitigation options available and therefore concluded that the LDV sector is difficult and costly to decarbonize. Here we consider a broader range of available mitigation options. We find that both technology costs and carbon taxes necessary to stay within a given carbon budget are lower when additional available mitigation options are considered in integrated modeling exercises. The climate policy implications of these findings are significant as climate action in the LDV sector is found to be more flexible and less costly than previously assumed. While the analysis is focused on the US context, similar results are to be expected for other (industrialized) countries.