Associations between New Energy Vehicle Growth, Fossil Energy, and CO2 Emissions in a Coal-Dependent Region: Evidence from Shaanxi, 2015–2021

Abstract

This paper studies the relationships among new energy vehicles (NEVs), fossil and coal consumption and CO2 emissions in Shaanxi from 2015–2021. As a coal-dependent area, Shaanxi offers an important case for exploring the establishment of clean mobility of energy structure in a carbon-intensive region. The research develops descriptive presentations and regression analysis, based on the China Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs) and provincial statistics. The descriptive results indicate that accelerated NEV growth accompanied with a slight reduction in use of fossil and coal and a slow decrease in CO2 emission. The results of the regression show however, that there is no statistically significant short-term association between NEV stock and fossil or coal use. The outcomes mentioned above suggest that the short-term impact of NEVs on emission mitigation is limited and arguably hidden by coal supremacy in coal-based regions (such as Shaanxi). Therefore, the NEV environmental benefits have a brighter future only when implemented within a system of lowcarbon power production and structural energy changes.