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This paper presents a Well-to-Wheels (WTW) analysis of equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2eq) emissions in different scenarios of replacement of a conventional taxi fleet by electric vehicles. Two battery electric vehicles and one hybrid electric vehicle were used in the comparison with the conventional vehicle fleet. A numeric model was developed to evaluate CO2eq emissions in the fuel production, electricity supply, and vehicle operation phases. Gasoline and sugarcane ethanol were considered as fuels for the conventional and hybrid electric vehicles. Six scenarios of conventional vehicles replacement by electric vehicles in the taxi fleet were evaluated. The results showed that the replacement of nearly 13% of the current taxi fleet of a major city by the three electric vehicle models considered in the analysis could reduce CO2eq emissions by about 6%. If the entire fleet was replaced in a 5 years period, CO2eq emission could reach a reduction up to 82%.

In Brazil, since the purchase cost of an electric vehicle (EV) is still very high, the exchange of a conventional vehicle by an EV would only be worth if the vehicle was used as source income, such as the case of taxis. Short run distances and high daily mileage make conventional taxis ideal candidates to be replaced by battery EVs. Recently, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro received EVs as a test project, but other major cities, such as Belo Horizonte, have yet to be tested. The taxi fleet in this city has currently 7,152 vehicles, all powered by internal combustion engines, significantly contributing to equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2eq) emissions since the daily distance traveled is high. With the aim to characterize the fleet and evaluate taxi driver’s option to EVs, data was collected from a systematic sample of taxi stands, of a total of 375, through a structured interview with the drivers, considering a finite and homogeneous population.