Car Life Cycle Research Articles

Impact of vehicle electrification on global supply chains and emission transfer

Numerous countries plan to promote increased levels of vehicle electrification. This study demonstrates that, when considering the life cycle of automobiles, higher levels of vehicle electrification over the next 30 years in Japan would generate higher carbon emissions, preventing the country from meeting carbon reduction and neutrality targets in 2030 and 2050, respectively. In 2020, 2030, and 2050, domestic emissions could decrease to 92.5, 72.9, and 49.6 Mt, respectively, while emission transfers to other countries could reach 12.1 Mt (11.5% of the global carbon footprint), 10.4 Mt (12.5%), and 8.7 Mt (14.9%). The results indicate that even if the widespread use of alternative fuel vehicles could reduce domestic emissions, such emissions might be transferred to foreign countries, and blanket promotion of automobile electrification should be avoided. Instead, governments and the automotive industry should take responsibility for global and whole life-cycle emissions of vehicles, not only domestic tank-to-wheel emissions. These results provide baseline information for use in the recommendation measures and international rules to be adopted by the automobile industry stakeholders and policymakers.

The Impact of the Minimum Ductility Requirement in Automotive Castings on the Carbon Dioxide Footprint throughout the Useful Life of an Electric Car

There is a trend in the automotive producers to require that foundries use more secondary aluminum alloy ingots to reduce the CO2 footprint of car production. The merits of this trend have been investigated in this study. Results have shown that requiring the use of more secondary ingots while simultaneously reducing the elongation requirement of aluminum alloy die castings is counterproductive, i.e., increases the CO2 footprint of the car over its useful life by not taking advantage of the weight reduction possible. It is recommended that (i) foundries improve their melt handling capabilities to reduce and minimize the entrainment damage made to the melt in the melting and casting process chain, and (ii) automobile producers reduce the weight of die castings by increasing requirements on elongation, to secure a reduced CO2-footprint in the designs, materials usage and life-cycle of cars.

DIRECTIONS FOR IMPROVING STUDENT TRAINING
 FOR THE SPECIALTY «TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE OF VEHICLES»

The stages of the life cycle of cars and production are given, in which graduates of universities and colleges who have been trained in the specialty "Technical operation of cars" will operate. Taking into account the systematic analysis of curricula, textbooks and teaching aids, the purpose of training, the names and content of educational special disciplines adapted to the needs of motor transport (operational, maintenance and repair) enterprises are substantiated.

Based on a comparison of life-cycle carbon and pollution emissions of fuel-fired light-duty vehicles and new energy vehicles and an analysis of the influencing factors

Using the GREET model and the WTW system, compare and analyse the carbon emissions of fuel-light vehicles (E10, liquefied natural gas) and new energy vehicles (pure electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, liquefied hydrogen energy) during the entire life cycle of automobiles and pollutant emissions and compare the carbon emissions of plug-in hybrid vehicles under different power structures. The conclusions of the emissions of the two models, the number of emission factors, the contribution of various links of the two models, upstream emissions, vehicle life, light materials, and power structure are drawn, and relevant suggestions are given based on the conclusions.

APPLICATION OF THE VEHICLE ALLOCATION METHOD (VAM) IN THE FLEET SIZING PROCESS OF A GERMAN COMPANY IN THE WIND SECTOR

This study sought to apply the Vehicle Allocation Method (VAM) for dimensioning light fleets and identify the results it produces in a multinational company that manufactures, installs and maintains wind turbines. For this, an quantitative research, exploratory, with characteristics of an evaluative case study, based on the documental collection from secondary sources and on the sample, which is composed of light vehicles with circulation in several Brazilian states, supported by parameters such as car life cycle, usage details, among other criteria. The analysis of data collected from an odometer, internal vehicle registration and allocation reports and reports from the supply management system was performed using electronic tabulation (Microsoft Excel). The results showed that data-based actions promote several benefits and allow the company to move towards an optimal inventory based on the adjustments resulting from the results of this study, such as the verified need to replace, reallocate or eliminate about 45% of this company's current fleet.

Implementing circular economy strategies in the automobile industry – a step toward creating sustainable automobiles

PurposeThis study aims to highlight the impacts of a rapidly growing automobile industry on the environment and how implementation of Circular Economy (CE) principles and strategies can help us in improving its sustainability without compromising on our existing economic models.Design/methodology/approachIncrease in spending capacity, improvements in technology and decrease in the prices have catapulted automobile demand over the last few decades. Harmful emissions and waste generation during the entire life cycle of these complex machines need to be addressed in an urgent manner globally. Implementation of CE principles and strategies which are based on promoting a pivotal balance between environment, economy and the society can lead to minimize economic and environmental impact leading to better results for all the stakeholders.FindingsCarbon footprint or environmental emissions during different stages of an automobile life cycle can be minimized using CE principles and strategies without compromising on the existing economic models. Government legislation and keen participation of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and automobile manufacturers can drive the automobile industry toward sustainability despite growing consumption.Originality/valueThe literature review has been done with a fresh perspective to combine environmental sustainability with CE. This is a literature review of prior work done in this domain to explore the possibility of further intervention in this domain.

Critical factors affecting performance of logistics operation planning considering interdependency: A case study in automotive aftermarket

Abstract Automotive aftermarket operations cover a wide scope from aftersales car maintenance to the last stage of car's lifecycle, including all activities in aftermarket parts and services. Logistics operation planning in automotive aftermarket suffers from demand uncertainty and inaccurate forecasting issues. These issues lead to not only inappropriate inventory level, but also poor performance of order fulfilment and customer satisfaction. Therefore, this study explores the important antecedents of order fulfilment using decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) based on thirteen criteria. An automotive aftermarket company handling business in Southeast Asia is employed as the empirical case. The methodology can determine the critical factors in the logistics operations of automotive aftermarket considering interdependency among factors involved in the proposed system. According to the analytical results, the company should improve accuracy of demand planning, supply chain lead time and stock availability superiorly.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ЕКСПЛУАТАЦІЇ ТА ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ БРОНЬОВАНИХ АВТОМОБІЛІВ

Purpose. The large number of armored vehicles offered in Ukraine significantly complicates the choice of such equipment for equipping the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These cars are designed and manufactured on a variety of ag-gregate bases, often owned by manufacturers in other countries, which is not always acceptable to the military. In addi-tion, the variety of designs leads to deterioration of unification and interchangeability of motor vehicles, which can lead to significant obstacles to quality and timely maintenance of military armored vehicles, their repair and modernization in real operation in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Methodology. To solve the problem, an analysis of the features and evaluation of the effectiveness of the operation of armored vehicles, which are manufactured by factories of different countries for armed military units. Mathematical modeling methods were used to assess the efficiency of armored vehi-cles, including the specific fuel consumption per person transported and the ton of cargo transported, as well as speed criteria allows consumers of armored vehicles, which are the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to make an informed choice in favor of purchase another car with a large number of them, offered by numerous manufacturers of such products. Re-sults. It is established that Kremenchug Automobile Plant is the only car manufacturer in Ukraine that provides the full life cycle of cars from their development and manufacture to warranty and service support during operation. In addition, Kremenchug Automobile Plant has its own service and maintenance service, which reduces downtime of equipment manufactured by the plant, when performing repair or maintenance of cars in the units under the conditions of their op-eration. Operation of cars of the Kremenchug Automobile Plant, especially KrAZ «Hulk», taking into account their greater load and the number of personnel of military units that can be transported, according to specific indicators per person transported or ton of transported cargo, which is what the end user needs, it turns out more profitable from an economic point of view. Originality. For the first time, a comparative analysis of the specific fuel consumption of ar-mored vehicles manufactured by factories of different countries for armed military units, in their practical use and cal-culated the efficiency of their operation according to speed criteria. Practical value. Based on the comparative analysis of specific fuel consumption of armored vehicles manufactured by factories of different countries for armed military units, in their practical use and performed calculation of their efficiency according to speed criteria, the consumer of armored vehicles, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine, can make an informed choice. in favor of buying a car from their large number, which is offered by many manufacturers of such products. References 17, tables 2, figures 5.

Modeling inventory and environmental impacts of car maintenance and repair: A case study of Ford Focus passenger car

Maintenance and repair are necessary to maintain the car's functions throughout its life. As the car ages, maintenance and repairs are becoming more common and consume more and more resources and energy. In this study, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to a case study of different maintenance scenarios of internal combustion engine passenger car. The LCA examination is focused on thorough maintenance inventory of a popular compact car, Ford Focus II. The examination considered different maintenance scenarios. The first followed Ford Maintenance Schedule. The other was made to include car breakdown cases, as reported by car users. Both scenarios of maintenance and repair were analyzed using data from 40 vehicles regularly using Ford authorized service center. Material inventories in other stages of the car life cycle were modeled with Ecoinvent data. The environmental impact of maintenance and repair was another focus of the study. The inventories were combined to model different car maintenance scenarios. Each vehicle scenario was further modeled in ICE diesel and petrol versions to compare their maintenance and repair options and to compare data with earlier studies. Another model described a diesel engine version with earlier oil exchange, which often ocuurs in cars that are used mainly in urban environment.The main conclusion is that a new level of thoroughness of inventory data provides by 58% higher effect of car maintenance and repair in a petrol car and by 95% higher in a diesel compared to earlier research. For the scenario with shortened oil exchange interval the effect is twice as great.

Can modified components make cars greener? A life cycle assessment

The goal of this study is to evaluate which improvements to car components can most reduce its environmental impacts, narrowing the field to only those currently available on the market. The strategy of the material substitution is the more investigated together with mass reduction, even if the study does not ignore marginally shape optimization, controls, and production processes. Another goal is to discriminate the environmental benefits according to the size of the car and power supply, i.e., gasoline, hybrid and electric.To ensure the reliability and the reproducibility of the results, the study was conducted using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, following the international standards ISO 14040/44, limited to the determination of CO2 eq. Each considered datum was extracted from scientific papers and used within a rigorous structured methodology to calculate the environmental impacts for all the types of car. The functional unit was defined to refer the environmental benefits arising from each improvement of the components to the impacts of the car life cycle normalized for a distance travelled of 100 km in a typical European route.Overall, a reduction in overall car impacts between 7% and 14% was determined by combining all the best alternatives for each analysed component. The major advantage was guaranteed to internal combustion cars and minor to electric cars, while in terms of size, small car benefitted the most. Frame improvement alone provided 51% of the total impact reduction, followed at a distance by that on the bodywork.In conclusion, the study showed how the followed approach can be useful to combine a large amount of different and heterogeneous data while extracting general considerations for automotive eco-design. The structural lightning achieved through material substitution has been fundamental to reduce fuel and energy consumption, and therefore the impacts of the use phase. However, the moderate lightning ensured by aluminium is better than the larger one of carbon fiber and magnesium, whose greater impacts in material extraction, manufacturing, and end-of-life compromise their most sustainable use phase. A further investigation should be deserved to increase control over vehicle condition and driving patterns which resulted valuable options.

Forecast of passenger car market structure and environmental impact analysis in China

To evaluate the future passenger car market related environmental impact, first, a competitive prediction model was introduced based on Lotka-Volterra model. Further, the limit of passenger car life cycle system is extended to analyze the scale of future energy consumption and pollutant emission. The proportion of new energy passenger cars, average rate of change in the quality of passenger cars, and the share of renewable energy power generation were used as evaluation indicators to conduct scenario simulations for assessing the environmental benefits under the following policy scenarios: lightweight, electrification, and end-use energy cleaning of automobile. The results show that market share of new energy passenger cars will surpass traditional passenger cars around 2040. The energy consumption per unit mileage of the four types of passenger cars throughout the life cycle is 3.88, 3.51, 3.23, and 3.72 MJ/km. Compared with traditional passenger cars, new energy passenger cars will decrease by 17%, but less than expected. The total amount of VOC, CO, and CHG emissions from passenger cars will reach the peak in 2030 and then rapidly decrease. The amount of NOx emission will slowly decrease after reaching a peak of 11.6 ten-kilo-tons around 2040. The total emission of SO2 and PH2.5 will increase as the number of passenger cars increases. However, the growth rate will decrease to 4–6%. Finally, with the continuous advancement of three policies, the energy and emission factor will decrease by 10.0–13.5%. Among these factors, the impact of end-use cleaning energy in the mid-end terminal is the highest due to the sensitivity to fuel cycle. However, traditional single policy may not be effective since they do not consider the structure of vehicle cycle.

Environmental Impact of Subsidy Concepts for Stimulating Car Sales in Germany

In 2020, vehicle sales decreased dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, several voices have demanded a vehicle subsidy similar to the “environmental subsidy” in Germany in 2009. The ecological efficiency of vehicle subsidies is controversially discussed. This paper establishes a prognosis of the long-term environmental impacts of various car subsidy concepts. The CO2 emissions of the German car fleet impacted by the purchase subsidies are determined. A balance model of the CO2 emissions of the whole car life cycle is developed. The implementation of different subsidy scenarios directly affects the forecasted composition of the vehicle population and, therefore, the resulting life-cycle assessment. All scenarios compensate the additional emissions required by the production pull-in within the considered period and, hence, reduce the accumulated CO2 emissions until 2030. In the time period 2019–2030 and for a total number of 0.72 million subsidized vehicles—compensating the decrease due to the COVID-19 pandemic—savings of between 1.31 and 7.56 million t CO2 eq. are generated compared to the scenario without a subsidy. The exclusive funding of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is most effective, with an ecological break-even in 2025.

Analysis of Autonomous Vehicle Safety Constraints Based on Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis

This article starts with the safety challenges faced by autonomous vehicles, sorts out the development stages of autonomous vehicles and the cases of safety threats. It combines the safety standards of connected vehicles through case analysis, and uses STPA to analyze unsafe controls. Based on the four dimensions of laws, regulations, hardware, software, and network, this paper analyzes the safety constraints of autonomous driving technology, and proposes corresponding safety constraint strategies. The analysis results show that the improvement of the automobile life cycle safety regulation system, the establishment of a new type of anti-deep learning algorithms, and the construction of big data control links by OEMs can effectively reduce the safety risks of autonomous vehicles, which is worth further experimental research.

Managing the effectiveness of strategic decisions to rationalize the system of maintenance and repair of passenger cars

Reducing the cost of maintaining a fleet of passenger cars is one of the key objectives of the operating company as part of its strategic management. The article describes the criteria by which can be evaluated the effectiveness of strategic decisions in the field of rationalization of the system of maintenance and repair of passenger cars. The process of rationalization of this system is presented in accordance with the Deming — Schuhart cycle (PDCA) with feedback. This process provides for monitoring the effectiveness of the implemented changes in the system on the basis of IT-technologies and processing "Big Data" on three conditions: efficiency of use (C-criterion), integrated reliability (availability) ( К -criterion) and functional safety of passenger cars ( λ -criterion). The C-criterion characterizes the savings from reducing the costs of maintenance and repair of cars by introducing appropriate changes to the system of maintenance and repair of passenger cars. At the same time, the savings will be expressed as a reduction in the cost of the life cycle of cars in terms of technical content when introducing changes to this system. The К -criterion characterizes the change in the working time fund of cars and, as a result, determines the amount of profit (lost profit) from the increase (decrease) in the working time of cars after introducing changes to the system of maintenance and repair of passenger cars. Within the ^-criterion, comprehensive reliability indicators are used — the availability factor and the technical availability coefficient. λ -criterion characterizes the current safety state of trains in terms of passenger facilities on the basis of functional performance of cars safety. A negative indicator was adopted as a similar indicator — the intensity of dangerous railway failures that led to a violation of the safety of train traffic. The given approach was developed in the tradition of the process control methodology according to the ISO system of standards and the IRIS standard of the railway industry. Currently, there are methodological developments and hardware/software that allow to move towards practical implementation of the described approach to effective management in the field of rationalizing the maintenance and repair of passenger cars by the operating company as part of the overall strategic management.

Research and Policy Suggestions on Promoting the Greenization of the Lifecycle of Automobile Products

The greenization of product cycle is the current development trend. Production and consumption are two important links in the lifecycle of automobiles. Therefore, these two links play an important role during the promotion of the greenization of the lifecycle. Through carrying out the evaluation of the environmental benefits of the automobile air conditioning refrigerant alternatives and the analysis of the implementation effect of the automobile taxation scheme, this paper makes suggestions of the greenization of the production and consumption links, thus accelerating the progress of the lifecycle.

Assessments on emergy and greenhouse gas emissions of internal combustion engine automobiles and electric automobiles in the USA

Increasing energy consumption in the transportation sector results in challenging greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental problems. This paper involved integrated assessments on GHG emissions and emergy of the life cycle for the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric automobiles in the USA over the entire assumed fifteen-year lifetime. The hotspots of GHG emissions as well as emergy indices for the major processes of automobile life cycle within the defined system boundaries have been investigated. The potential strategies for reducing GHG emissions and emergy in the life cycle of both ICE and electric automobiles were further proposed. Based on the current results, the total GHG emissions from the life cycle of ICE automobiles are 4.48E + 07 kg CO2-e which is 320 times higher than that of the electric automobiles. The hotspot area of the GHG emissions from ICE and electric automobiles are operation phase and manufacturing process, respectively. Interesting results were observed that comparable total emergy of the ICE automobiles and electric automobiles have been calculated which were 1.54E + 17 and 2.20E + 17 sej, respectively. Analysis on emergy index evidenced a better environmental sustainability of electric automobiles than ICE automobiles over the life cycle due to its higher ESI. To the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time to integrate the analysis of GHG emissions together with emergy in industrial area of automobile engineering. It is expected that the integration of emergy and GHG emissions analysis may provide a comprehensive perspective on eco-industrial sustainability of automobile engineering.

An approach for the robust design of a reconfigurable assembly cell with 7-axis robot

ABSTRACTThe increasing variety of products and the variability of the demand are pushing manufacturing companies in a challenging and competing environment. These trends affect many industrial sectors, including the automotive one, impacting the whole supply chain, including the production of spare parts. The automotive spare part’s market is aimed at providing replacing parts during the whole life cycle of cars. As the design of cars becomes more and more sophisticated, producing spare parts requires complex production processes, a wide range of different technologies and the need to cope with different materials. In this context, the design of assembly systems and proper management policies have a considerable importance for the competitiveness of spare parts suppliers. In this paper, a configuration approach is proposed, to select a robust design solution for a reconfigurable assembly cell. The solution consists of an initial configuration together with a set of alternative reconfiguration plans to cope with the intrinsic uncertainty of the spare part manufacturing requirements. An innovative reconfigurable assembly cell architecture is exploited, while robustness is pursued by minimising a function of the risk associated with investment and operational costs of the assembly cell. The viability of the proposed approach is demonstrated through the application to an industrial case.

THEORETICAL STUDIES ON THE PROCESS OF CHANGE OF THE TECHNICAL CONDITION OF FREIGHT CARS IN OPERATION

Purpose. The scientific work is intended to investigate the technical condition of freight cars during their operation. The said purpose involves solving the following tasks: 1) to describe the technical condition of a freight car during the maintenance and repair period; 2) to determine the dependences of the probability of a freight car being in working condition during the life cycle; 3) to specify the expression for the technical availability ratio of the car fleet. Methodology. To achieve the purpose, the author examined the methodological approaches to the definition of various stages of the freight car life cycle. The system of change and transition of the technical condition of the freight car is described using differential equations. Findings. In the case of an unstable process of changing the technical condition of a freight car, the probabilistic characteristic of the appropriate life cycle stage depends on the amount of time. The intensity of the input and output flows are correlated with each other, taking into account the probability of a freight car being at the appropriate stage of its life cycle. Originality. Transitions from one car life cycle to another occur in discrete steps, that is, such transitions are characterized by a random process. The probability of a freight car being at the appropriate life cycle is determined by its prior technical condition. The total value of the set of all possible conditions consists of the Markov chain for random processes with random states and a continuous flow of time. The study resulted in obtaining, for the first time, of the dependence of the probability of a freight car being in working condition during the life cycle. Practical value. On the basis of the obtained definition for the probability of the freight car being in working condition the expression for the technical availability ratio of the car fleet was clarified.

Logistics in life cycle of cars on the example of Toyota Motor Corporation. Stage IV – decommissioning

This article is the last of the series dedicated to the logistics in life cycle of cars, based on the materials from Toyota Motor Corporation. The study covered the IV stage of the life cycle of vehicles - the phase of withdrawal out of service. The topic of recycling of Toyota cars and the relationship between these activities and the protection of the environment as well as the issues of resource conservation and their effective re-use are discussed.

Logistics in the recycling process of wiring automotive electrical installations

The article deals with issues related to the recycling of waste from cabling of electrical installations and components of automotive electronics. The recycling processes examined at the logistic angle belong to the so-called “reverse logistics” and are immensely relevant to the environmental, economic and legal aspects. The range of tasks related to management of materials obtained from cars withdrawn out of service, particularly electrical wiring and electronics has been described. Logistics at this stage of the life cycle of cars is a field of least expertise, and this constitutes the basis for conducting research regarding this area of country’s economic activity.