Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered alternatives to internal combustion engines due to their energy efficiency and contribution to CO2 mitigation. The adoption of EVs depends on consumer preferences, including cost, social status and driving habits, although it is agreed that current and expected costs play a major role. We use a partial equilibrium model that minimizes total energy system costs to assess whether EVs can be a cost-effective option for the consumers of each EU27 member state up to 2050, focusing on the impact of different vehicle investment costs and CO2 mitigation targets. We found that for an EU-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction cap of 40% and 70% by 2050 vis-à-vis 1990 emissions, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are cost-effective in the EU only by 2030 and only if their costs are 30% lower than currently expected. At the EU level, vehicle costs and the capability to deliver both short- and long-distance mobility are the main drivers of BEV deployment. Other drivers include each state’s national mobility patterns and the cost-effectiveness of alternative mitigation options, both in the transport sector, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) or biofuels, and in other sectors, such as renewable electricity.

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Daily electricity consumption profiles from smart meters are explored as proxies of active behavior regarding space heating and cooling. The influence of the environment air temperature (multiple maximum and minimum daily thresholds) on electricity consumption was explored for a final sample of 19 households located in southwestern Europe (characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters), taking the full year of 2014. Statistical analysis of the deviations from hourly average electricity consumptions for each temperature thresholds was performed for each household. Firstly, these deviations could act as proxies highlighting possible lack of thermal comfort on space cooling, and partially on space heating, supported by door-to-door survey data, on socio-economic details of occupants, buildings bearing structure and equipment's ownership and use. Secondly, meaningful differences of consumers' behavior on electricity consumption pattern were identified as a response for space heating and cooling to the environment air temperatures thresholds. Additionally, statistical clusters of active and non-active behavior groups of households were assessed, showing the electricity use for space heating. This paper illustrates the importance of the widespread use of smart-meters data on the increasingly electrified buildings sector, to understand whether and how thermal comfort could be achieved through active climatization behavior of its occupants. This is particularly important in regions where automatic HVAC systems are almost absent.