scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessments on Battery Electric Vehicles and Electrolytic Hydrogen: The Need for Calculation Rules and Better Databases on Electricity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5250
Author(s):  
Roberta Olindo ◽  
Nathalie Schmitt ◽  
Joost Vogtländer
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Electric Cars ◽  
Electrolytic Hydrogen ◽  
Electricity Mix

LCAs of electric cars and electrolytic hydrogen production are governed by the consumption of electricity. Therefore, LCA benchmarking is prone to choices on electricity data. There are four issues: (1) leading Life Cycle Impact (LCI) databases suffer from inconvenient uncertainties and inaccuracies, (2) electricity mix in countries is rapidly changing, year after year, (3) the electricity mix is strongly fluctuating on an hourly and daily basis, which requires time-based allocation approaches, and (4) how to deal with nuclear power in benchmarking. This analysis shows that: (a) the differences of the GHG emissions of the country production mix in leading databases are rather high (30%), (b) in LCA, a distinction must be made between bundled and unbundled registered electricity certificates (RECs) and guarantees of origin (GOs); the residual mix should not be applied in LCA because of its huge inaccuracy, (c) time-based allocation rules for renewables are required to cope with periods of overproduction, (d) benchmarking of electricity is highly affected by the choice of midpoints and/or endpoint systems, and (e) there is an urgent need for a new LCI database, based on measured emission data, continuously kept up-to-date, transparent, and open access.

scholarly journals Design of Eco-Efficient Body Parts for Electric Vehicles Considering Life Cycle Environmental Information

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5838
Author(s):  
Lars Reimer ◽  
Alexander Kaluza ◽  
Felipe Cerdas ◽  
Jens Meschke ◽  
Thomas Vietor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Electricity Mix ◽  
Use Phase ◽  
Structural Parts

The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the entire life cycle of vehicles has become part of the strategic objectives in automotive industry. In this regard, the design of future body parts should be carried out based on information of life cycle GHG emissions. The substitution of steel towards lightweight materials is a major trend, with the industry undergoing a fundamental shift towards the introduction of electric vehicles (EV). The present research aims to support the conceptual design of body parts with a combined perspective on mechanical performance and life cycle GHG emissions. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the GHG impact of EV in the use phase depends on vehicle-specific factors that may not be specified at the conceptual design stage of components, such as the market-specific electricity mix used for vehicle charging. A methodology is proposed that combines a simplified numerical design of concept alternatives and an analytic approach estimating life cycle GHG emissions. It is applied to a case study in body part design based on a set of principal geometries and load cases, a range of materials (aluminum, glass and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP, CFRP) as substitution to a steel reference) and different use stage scenarios of EV. A new engineering chart was developed, which helps design engineers to compare life cycle GHG emissions of lightweight material concepts to the reference. For body shells, the replacement of the steel reference with aluminum or GFRP shows reduced lifecycle GHG emissions for most use phase scenarios. This holds as well for structural parts being designed on torsional stiffness. For structural parts designed on tension/compression or bending stiffness CFRP designs show lowest lifecycle GHG emissions. In all cases, a high share of renewable electricity mix and a short lifetime pose the steel reference in favor. It is argued that a further elaboration of the approach could substantially increase transparency between design choices and life cycle GHG emissions.

scholarly journals Electricity Generation in LCA of Electric Vehicles: A Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetta Marmiroli ◽  
Maarten Messagie ◽  
Giovanni Dotelli ◽  
Joeri Van Mierlo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Statistical Regression ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Goal Definition ◽  
Electricity Mix ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Made In

: Life Cycle assessments (LCAs) on electric mobility are providing a plethora of diverging results. 44 articles, published from 2008 to 2018 have been investigated in this review, in order to find the extent and the reason behind this deviation. The first hurdle can be found in the goal definition, followed by the modelling choice, as both are generally incomplete and inconsistent. These gaps influence the choices made in the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) stage, particularly in regards to the selection of the electricity mix. A statistical regression is made with results available in the literature. It emerges that, despite the wide-ranging scopes and the numerous variables present in the assessments, the electricity mix’s carbon intensity can explain 70% of the variability of the results. This encourages a shared framework to drive practitioners in the execution of the assessment and policy makers in the interpretation of the results.

scholarly journals Review and Meta-Analysis of EVs: Embodied Emissions and Environmental Breakeven

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Joseph Dillman ◽  
Áróra Árnadóttir ◽  
Jukka Heinonen ◽  
Michał Czepkiewicz ◽  
Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
European Economic Area ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Electrical Grid ◽  
High Production ◽  
Data Transparency

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often considered a potential solution to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originating from personal transport vehicles, but this has also been questioned due to their high production emissions. In this study, we performed an extensive literature review of existing EV life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and a meta-analysis of the studies in the review, extracting life-cycle GHG emission data combined with a standardized methodology for estimating GHG electrical grid intensities across the European Economic Area (EEA), which were used to estimate a set of environmental breakeven points for each EEA country. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to provide sensitivity analysis. The results of the review suggest a need for greater methodological and data transparency within EV LCA research. The meta-analysis found a subset of countries across the EEA where there is a potential that EVs could lead to greater life-cycle GHG emissions than a comparable diesel counterpart. A policy discussion highlights how EV policies in countries with contrasting GHG electric grid intensities may not reflect the current techno-environmental reality. This paper emphasizes the importance for researchers to accurately depict life-cycle vehicle emissions and the need for EEA countries to enact policies corresponding to their respective contextual conditions to avoid potentially enacting policies that could lead to greater GHG emissions.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Electric Vehicle Batteries: An Overview of Recent Literature

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Temporelli ◽  
Maria Leonor Carvalho ◽  
Pierpaolo Girardi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Hybrid Vehicles ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Automotive Batteries ◽  
Use Phase

In electric and hybrid vehicles Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), batteries play a central role and are in the spotlight of scientific community and public opinion. Automotive batteries constitute, together with the powertrain, the main differences between electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. For this reason, many decision makers and researchers wondered whether energy and environmental impacts from batteries production, can exceed the benefits generated during the vehicle’s use phase. In this framework, the purpose of the present literature review is to understand how large and variable the main impacts are due to automotive batteries’ life cycle, with particular attention to climate change impacts, and to support researchers with some methodological suggestions in the field of automotive batteries’ LCA. The results show that there is high variability in environmental impact assessment; CO2eq emissions per kWh of battery capacity range from 50 to 313 g CO2eq/kWh. Nevertheless, either using the lower or upper bounds of this range, electric vehicles result less carbon-intensive in their life cycle than corresponding diesel or petrol vehicles.

Statistical properties of emission data in life cycle assessments

1996 ◽  
Vol 4 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 149-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Jørgen Hanssen ◽  
Odd Andreas Asbjørnsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Statistical Properties ◽  
Emission Data ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of the New Generation GT-MHR Nuclear Power Plant

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Koltun ◽  
Alfred Tsykalo ◽  
Vasily Novozhilov
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Greenhouse Gases ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Hybrid Lca

This study describes a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a fourth generation (4G) nuclear power plant. A high temperature helium cooled reactor and gas turbine technology with modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) is used in this study as an example. This is currently one the safest design of a nuclear power plant. The study also takes into account impact of accidents and incidents (AI) which happened around the world at nuclear power generation facilities. The adopted method for the study is a hybrid LCA analysis. The analysis of each phase of the life cycle was done on the basis of process chain analysis (PCA). Where detailed data were not available, the Input/Output (I/O) databases was employed. The obtained results show that greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and energy intensity per unit of electricity production are relatively low. In fact, these are even lower than emissions from a number of renewable energy sources. The results show considerably different greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and energy intensity per unit of electricity production when effects of AI are taken into account.

Greenhouse gas emissions of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Stemmle ◽  
Philipp Blum ◽  
Simon Schüppler ◽  
Paul Fleuchaus ◽  
Melissa Limoges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Conventional Heating ◽  
Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Electricity Mix

<p>Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is an open-loop geothermal system enabling seasonal storage of thermal energy in groundwater. It is a promising technology for environmentally friendly energy generation that can overcome the seasonal mismatch between demand and supply of heating and cooling and helps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, there are only few studies quantifying GHG emissions caused by ATES systems over their entire life cycle. This study presents a novel life cycle assessment (LCA) regression model focusing on the GHG emissions that is a fast alternative to conventional time-consuming LCA. Due to its parametric structure, the regression LCA model can be used to perform Monte Carlo simulations of a wide range of different ATES configurations. Accordingly, it allows the environmental evaluation of the technology as a whole.</p><p>The application of the model reveals that the median value of investigated ATES configurations is 83.2 gCO<sub>2eq</sub>/kWh<sub>th</sub> with most of the emissions resulting from electricity consumption during the operational phase. Compared to conventional heating systems based on heating oil and natural gas, this value reveals potential GHG savings of up to 74 %. In terms of cooling, ATES can save up to about 59 % of GHG emissions compared to conventional, electricity-based technologies. Specific GHG emissions from a modified LCA regression model considering a projected electricity mix for the year 2050 add up to 10.5 gCO<sub>2eq</sub>/kWh<sub>th</sub> forecasting even higher emission savings of up to 97 %. A sensitivity analysis reveals that in particular the operational time for cooling and the coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump should be carefully considered when planning or optimizing new systems under current conditions. In contrast, when considering the projected 2050 electricity mix, the most important system parameter is the number of wells. This reflects the decreasing importance of the electrical power necessary for ATES operation due to the much lower specific GHG emissions of the projected 2050 electricity mix.</p>

scholarly journals Identification of the Optimal Passenger Car Vehicle Fleet Transition for Mitigating the Cumulative Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions until 2050

Vehicles ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-99
Author(s):  
Benjamin Blat Belmonte ◽  
Arved Esser ◽  
Steffi Weyand ◽  
Georg Franke ◽  
Liselotte Schebek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Passenger Car ◽  
Vehicle Fleet ◽  
Hybrid Electric

We present an optimization model for the passenger car vehicle fleet transition—the time-dependent fleet composition—in Germany until 2050. The goal was to minimize the cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the vehicle fleet taking into account life-cycle assessment (LCA) data. LCAs provide information on the global warming potential (GWP) of different powertrain concepts. Meta-analyses of batteries, of different fuel types, and of the German energy sector are conducted to support the model. Furthermore, a sensitivity-analysis is performed on four key influence parameters: the battery production emissions trend, the German energy sector trend, the hydrogen production path trend, and the mobility sector trend. Overall, we draw the conclusion that—in any scenario—future vehicles should have a plug-in option, allowing their usage as fully or partly electrical vehicles. For short distance trips, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with a small battery size are the most reasonable choice throughout the transition. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) emerge as promising long-range capable solution. Starting in 2040, long-range capable BEVs and fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (FCPHEVs) have similar life-cycle emissions as PHEV-CNG.

scholarly journals A Review on the Life Cycle Assessment of Cellulose: From Properties to the Potential of Making It a Low Carbon Material

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 714
Author(s):  
Firoozeh Foroughi ◽  
Erfan Rezvani Ghomi ◽  
Fatemeh Morshedi Dehaghi ◽  
Ramadan Borayek ◽  
Seeram Ramakrishna
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Material ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Cellulose Production ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
By Products

The huge plastic production and plastic pollution are considered important global issues due to environmental aspects. One practical and efficient way to address them is to replace fossil-based plastics with natural-based materials, such as cellulose. The applications of different cellulose products have recently received increasing attention because of their desirable properties, such as biodegradability and sustainability. In this regard, the current study initially reviews cellulose products’ properties in three categories, including biopolymers based on the cellulose-derived monomer, cellulose fibers and their derivatives, and nanocellulose. The available life cycle assessments (LCA) for cellulose were comprehensively reviewed and classified at all the stages, including extraction of cellulose in various forms, manufacturing, usage, and disposal. Finally, due to the development of low-carbon materials in recent years and the importance of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, the proposed solutions to make cellulose a low carbon material were made. The optimization of the cellulose production process, such as the recovery of excessive solvents and using by-products as inputs for other processes, seem to be the most important step toward making it a low carbon material.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document