INVESTIGANDO A VIABILIDADE ECONÔMICO-FINANCEIRA E AMBIENTAL DA SUBSTITUIÇÃO DE VEÍCULOS A COMBUSTÃO POR VEÍCULOS ELÉTRICOS OU HÍBRIDOS DE UMA INSTITUIÇÃO DE ENSINO SUPERIOR

Abstract

The creation of the first ever gasoline-powered automobile is attributed to the scientists Karl Benz and Gottilieb Daimler, which consisted in the adaptation of an engine in a cart with a capacity for up to four people in addition to the acceleration, braking and steering systems. At the end of the 19th century, Henry Ford revolutionized the market with the launch of the Ford T with mass production of vehicles, reducing the costs of the production process, increasing the production capacity, reducing the value of the vehicle, being considered the responsible for popularizing the automobile. Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately 47,1 million vehicles in circulation just in the national market, which presents impacts in the environmental and social life, including traffic jams, road expansions and, mainly, the emission of the greenhouse effect gasses. In the automotive sector, several technologies are being developed that emit little to no greenhouse effect gasses, such as electric vehicles, hydrogen cell vehicles and the hydrogen combustion vehicles. In the midst of the emergence of more sustainable vehicles alternatives, the current study sought to investigate the financial and economic viability of replacing combustion passenger vehicles belonging to the current fleet of the Federal University of Paraíba, with hybrid or electric passenger vehicles and which are the possible environmental gains from this replacement. We utilized, the mathematical method of Equivalent Uniform Annual Cost together with the Scenario Analysis (expected, optimistic and pessimistic), as well as the CO2 emission calculator. Subsequently, these results were compared in order to analyze the feasibility of replacing a combustion vehicle with an electric or hybrid vehicle, and the possible gains from this replacement. It was observed that, as far as economicfinancial viability is feasible, replacing the combustion vehicle with the electric vehicle, also representing an environmental gain, since the replacement would result in a 97.81% reduction in CO2 emissions.