Abstract
Electric mobility is promoted as a future transport option that has environmental and economic benefits and encourages sustainable urban transportation. The aim of this study is to reveal the changes in environmental and economic performance if we switched from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to battery electric (BEV) or hybrid electric (HEV) vehicles. Therefore, this research presents a comparative environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) from the Cradle-to-Grave perspective of the vehicles and a Well-to-Wheel analysis of their fuel supply. Moreover, an LCA of a BEV was performed under diverse electricity mix scenarios, which are forecasted for 2015–2050 in Lithuania. From an economic point of view, a life cycle costing was conducted for the same vehicles to estimate the economic impacts over the vehicle life cycles under Lithuanian conditions. The results show that ICEV-petrol contributes the major environmental damage in all damage categories. BEVs with the electricity mix of 2020–2050 scenarios, which are composed mainly of renewable energy sources, provide the least environmental impact. The economic results reveal that BEV and ICEV-diesel are the most cost-efficient vehicles, with the total consumer life cycle costs of approximately 5% and 15% less than ICEV-petrol and HEV, respectively.
Highlights
The European Union (EU) faces the challenge of achieving goals set for the 2020 and 2030 climate and energy frameworks and the 2050 long-term strategy [1]
The results reveal the major impacts of the battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with the electricity mix of 2015, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and
The results show that in 2015, due to the use of natural gas and oil, this electricity mix was the most polluting in terms of global warming potential
Summary
The European Union (EU) faces the challenge of achieving goals set for the 2020 and 2030 climate and energy frameworks and the 2050 long-term strategy [1]. The EU’s ambition to become climate-neutral by 2050 is described in the European Green Deal, which claims a new growth strategy and aims to accelerate the shift to smart and sustainable mobility [2]. The EU According to the European Environmental Protection Agency, the transport sector, accounts for a quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Road transport is the most significant factor with nearly three-quarters of the transport-related GHG emissions [3]. A 90% reduction in all modes of transport emissions is necessary by 2050 [2]
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