Beyond concept: The viability of exclusive lanes for zero emission vehicles on expressways

•Proposing an economic analysis framework for zero emission vehicle exclusive lanes.•Analyzing travel time savings and traffic accident probability through a SPF.•Finding higher benefits from travel time savings than congestion and accident costs.•Showing a good B/C ratio from 2.00 to 4.08 by zero emission vehicle exclusive lanes.•Proving zero emission vehicle exclusive lanes as an environment-friendly measure. In response to climate change issues, various measures have been implemented to decarbonize transportation. One approach is to promote zero emission vehicles which can offer rapid and effective outcomes. Accordingly, exclusive lanes for zero emission vehicles on expressways have been pursued as a measure that can be implemented immediately with minimal detrimental impacts. To assess their economic viability, this study developed a methodological framework with a benefit-cost ratio for zero emission vehicle exclusive lanes, taking multiple traffic factors into account. Along with travel time savings, a safety performance function was proposed for traffic accident probability. A case study using diverse traffic datasets from the Republic of Korea revealed greater benefits from travel time savings than costs from congestion and accidents in all scenarios. The benefit-cost ratio ranged from 2.00 to 4.08, implying that operating these lanes can be an effective strategy for promoting zero emission vehicles, which address environmental issues.