Deciphering the impact of electric vehicles on carbon emissions: Some insights from an extended STIRPAT framework

This study examines the factors influencing carbon dioxide emissions using an expanded STIRPAT framework, employing a balanced panel dataset covering 26 countries globally from 2009 to 2023. The analysis uniquely highlights the relationships between carbon emissions and variables such as electric vehicle adoption, economic growth, population density, green technological advancements, and renewable energy utilization. Employing the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) approach, the findings reveal that electric vehicle adoption significantly elevates carbon emissions across all quantiles. Conversely, green innovation, the proportion of renewable energy consumption, and higher population density contribute to reducing emissions. Additional analysis indicates that the potential of electric vehicles to mitigate carbon emissions is realized only when the share of renewable energy generation exceeds a critical threshold. • The analyses are based on the Method of Moments of Quantile Regression method. • The electric vehicle’s effects on CO2 emissions are heterogeneous across quantiles. • Economic growth positively affects CO2 emissions. • Renewable energy consumption adversely affects CO2 emissions. • Population clustering negatively affects CO2 emissions. • Green technological innovation has detrimental effects on CO2 emissions.