Regulators, policymakers, environmental groups, and investors promote battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). Under current regulations, emissions are measured at the vehicle tailpipe. This definition is widely accepted. However, it is misleading as emissions are still created elsewhere during the life cycle of a battery electric vehicle. For example, mining the earth for raw materials and then manufacturing them into vehicle and powertrain components create embedded emissions. In addition, the production of fuel or electricity generates emissions, and the vehicle end-of-life also impacts total emissions, depending on scrappage or recycling processes. To accurately account for these stages, a life-cycle analysis is required. In a proper life-cycle analysis, it is possible to quantify emissions at each stage of the vehicle’s life to better understand cumulative emissions. Understanding cumulative emissions for different decarbonization pathways, it is possible to correctly choose the best strategy to move towards lower overall GHG emissions from transportation. LCA studies show that BEVs can lower GHG emissions, especially when charged from a renewable grid. However, alternative fuels and hybrid powertrains can have even lower life cycle GHG emissions. Therefore, LCA should be adopted as part of future policy and regulations. The main challenge with the adoption of LCA is the vast number of assumptions used. The final GHG prediction is sensitive to these assumptions and can alter the conclusion of any LCA study. This chapter will review several LCA studies and identify commonly used assumptions, variations on assumptions, and their impact on conclusions. Finally, a set of recommendations for future LCA work is presented.


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    Title :

    Life-Cycle Analysis for the Automotive Sector


    Additional title:

    Energy, Environment, and Sustainability


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2021-12-14


    Size :

    29 pages





    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




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