Life Cycle Analysis of Emissions from Electric and Gasoline Vehicles in Different Regions

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered a promising technology to mitigate air pollution and resource depletion problems. The emissions from the manufacturing process can cause severe health problems like chronic asthma and even death. Automakers and policy makers need to investigate the lifecycle emissions of EVs in different regions and then governments should decide if it is safe to establish EV production facilities in their country or whether it is more appropriate to import finished products. The objective of this study is to evaluate the air pollutant emissions produced by EVs and gasoline vehicles (GVs) during their life cycles under two technology scenarios. Life cycle analysis (LCA) was applied to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) and non-GHG emissions. We assessed air pollution from vehicles in Japan, China, and the United Kingdom (UK). Results indicate that EVs do not necessarily decrease pollutant emissions. EVs can improve air quality and reduce emissions in countries where electricity is derived from clean energy resources.

Health Impact of Electric Vehicles Considering Environmental Leakage. The Case Study on Japan, China, UK and Poland

“…The basic assumptions correspond to the previous study published in [3]. The EV under review is Nissan Leaf, with a 24kWh Lithium-Ion batter.…”

“…(1) Due to size limitation of this paper, the detailed description of methods and data used in LCA are described in details in [3] paper. The changes and additional data gathered for the model are defined in the below sections.…”

“…The emission cost for both electricity production and use phase of EVs were gathered in the previous study [3]. Emission prices for maritime transportation were calculated as an average price of the available damage cost of pollutants in sea regions [5].…”

“…Industry, power plants, households, transport, agriculture and waste treatment are human-made sources of air pollution [1]. Inefficient fuel combustion, residential heating, vehicles exacerbate the impact of emissions [3].…”

Toward Zero Emission Construction: A Comparative Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Diesel, Hybrid, and Electric Excavators

“…For instance, in Norway, most energy consumption is fulfilled by renewable sources like hydropower [67]. In case of coal-fired power plants, several studies suggest that electric vehicles are less ecologically viable than fossil fueled ones [68]. Although noise and air pollutants could be significantly reduced locally via electrification, global CO 2 emission reduction will be determined by energy mix at various regions.…”