Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution

The document examines how autonomous vehicles (AVs) could either reduce or increase greenhouse gas emissions depending on whether they are deployed as shared, electric mass transit or as private, single-occupancy vehicles. While AVs offer potential efficiency gains through 'platooning' and reduced vehicle weight, they risk increasing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and urban sprawl. The brief highlights the necessity of integrating AVs into multimodal urban systems and reviews current testing and regulatory efforts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

• The environmental impact of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is highly dependent on their deployment model; while shared electric AVs integrated into multimodal systems could reduce urban transportation pollution by 80 percent by 2050, private electric AVs could increase carbon emissions by up to 200 percent over their lifecycle.
• AVs could improve energy efficiency through several technical means: removing unnecessary safety features could make vehicles up to 75 percent lighter, and 'platooning' (reducing distance between cars) can decrease air resistance.
• Widespread adoption of private AVs may lead to a net increase in pollution due to increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT), as the ability to work or relax in the car may encourage longer trips and further urban sprawl.
• There are significant technical and safety hurdles remaining for AVs, including the difficulty of AI in reacting to unpredictable movements of pedestrians and bicyclists, and vulnerabilities to hacking and surveillance.
• The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) recommends that cities prioritize high-capacity on-street transit, walking, and biking over privately-owned AVs to prevent congestion and reduce emissions.
• In the United States, AV development is characterized by a mix of federal guidance from the NHTSA, state-level permits in states like California and Arizona, and various pilot shuttle programs in cities such as Columbus, Ohio and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2021). Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution. https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Autonomous_Vehicles_2021.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution. 2021. https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Autonomous_Vehicles_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Autonomous_Vehicles_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2021autonomous, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Autonomous Vehicles: State of the Technology and Potential Role as a Climate Solution}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Autonomous_Vehicles_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }