Abstract:
Private cars are turning electric, with a global increase of 50% between 2013 and 2014. Additionally, Ecuador stands to greatly benefit from a move away from fossil fuels to electric transport. Transport makes up 49% of the national annual energy demand, the fuel for which needs to be imported into the country and is then heavily subsidized. This paper sets out to quantify the potential electricity demand that would be generated from a mass conversion to electric vehicles. Wind and solar power are then compared with hydropower potential to meet this demand. It is found that wind and solar are competitive with hydropower, but where large areas of between 1.24% to 2.51% of the Ecuador’s total territory would be required. Finally, the need is recognized to drastically reduce the potential energy demand from electric cars, by decreasing the number of private vehicles on the road in favor for electric public transport systems.