Electricity Generation in LCA of Electric Vehicles: A Review

Abstract

: 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.

Life Cycle Assessment of an On-Road Dynamic Charging Infrastructure

“…Electric mobility is a complex theme. In order to have a complete comprehension of this phenomenon, its assessment has moved from the well-to-wheel analysis to complete LCA over the years [12]. This aspect was formalised according to the scheme of Nordelöf et al [13].…”

“…Its share is even more relevant on such impact categories as abiotic depletion, toxicity etc. These percentages vary significantly, depending on the lifetime and mileage of the vehicle [16], on the energy mix accounted for when recharging the vehicle [12], and on other parameters, such as the driving patterns [15], climatic conditions, etc.…”

“…The emissions due to the energy carrier directly affect the performance of the vehicle use phase, but, on the other hand, the EVs at a system level can also affect the performance of the grid. Many studies have dealt with the role played by the EV fleet in integrating renewable energy sources (RES) and in absorbing an intermittent supply due to a more flexible demand [12] and the option of smart charging [31].…”

Eco-Efficiency of a Lithium-Ion Battery for Electric Vehicles: Influence of Manufacturing Country and Commodity Prices on GHG Emissions and Costs

“…The use stage may be a large part of costs [58] and GHG emissions [59]. Therefore, it would be interesting to put previous results within the perspective of broader system boundaries.…”

“…It seems evident that the electricity mix that is used for charging needs to have a low carbon intensity to decrease the GHG emissions of the battery life cycle, as the carbon intensity of the electricity mix explains 70% of the variability of results for EV LCA in the literature [59]. Nevertheless, the costs of renewable energies are different than the costs of fossil fuel-based electricity [60], and charging the battery with offshore wind turbines may for instance be more expensive than charging it with combined cycle gas turbines.…”