N. Sergeant

Environmental Assessment Of Different VehicleTechnologies And Fuels

In this paper, a comparative LCA of conventional and alternative vehicles is performed. Thanks to a modeling approach combining LCA methodology, vehicle homologation data and statistical tools, all the available vehicle types in a given fleet are included in a single LCA model. Statistical distributions are used to include the variations of the main parameters (weight, fuel consumption and emissions) of all the considered vehicles in the LCA model. When dealing with greenhouse effect, battery electric vehicles (BEV) powered with the Belgian electricity supply mix, have a lower greenhouse effect (18.6 ton CO2eq/lifetime) than all the comparable vehicle technologies with exception of the sugar cane based bio-ethanol E85 vehicle (8.47 ton CO2eq/lifetime). For the different impact categories considered in this study, the impacts of the LPG technology are comparable to diesel. Euro 4 LPG and Euro 4 diesel have respectively greenhouse effects of 53.2 ton CO2eq/lifetime and 49.4 ton CO2eq/lifetime. FCEVs have lower impact than petrol and diesel vehicles for greenhouse effect, respiratory effect and acidification. CNG vehicles appear to be an interesting alternative for conventional vehicles. They have a low greenhouse effect (34.7 ton CO2eq/lifetime for a Euro 5 CNG) and the best score for respiratory effects and acidification. Furthermore Euro 4 CNG and Euro 4 HEV have comparable greenhouse effects (respectively 44.9 ton CO2eq/lifetime and 46.4 ton CO2eq/lifetime). Thanks to an iterative calculation process and the use of range of values instead average values, the variation of all the LCA results is assessed without performing a new LCA model. This approach provides the Urban Transport XVIII 15 doi:10.2495/UT1200 1 2 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509 (on-line) WIT Transactions on The Built Environment, Vol 128,

The Influence of Potential Policy Measures On the Eco-Efficiency of Personal Vehicle Mobility in Brussels

This paper on the eco-efficiency of personal vehicle mobility in Brussels is from the proceedings of 14th international Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century, which was held in Malta in 2008. The authors consider the influence of potential policy measures on the eco-efficiency of personal vehicle mobility, noting that urban areas such as the Brussels Capital Region (BCR) are facing air quality issues, due to a dense road network, a high degree of motorization, and a large influx of commuters entering the city daily. The authors then outline several possible policy measures that could be implemented by the Brussels Regional Government to influence the characteristics or intensity of urban traffic as well as its impact on the environment. These measures include a reorientation of the fiscal system for vehicles (registration and circulation tax), applying a road or congestion charge, variable parking fees, and other strategies. The Brussels Regional Government has commissioned a study to investigate the effects of these different policy measures on the traffic intensity in the city, as well as on the environment and the eco-efficiency of the vehicle fleet. The study will include costs and purchasing behavior as well as how the use of vehicles could evolve. The authors briefly describe how the Ecoscore, an environmental indicator for vehicles, is applied as a tool for policy support.

Environmental Breakeven Point:An Introduction Into EnvironmentalOptimization For PassengerCar Replacement Schemes

This paper gives insights in how to introduce environmental aspects in automobile replacement policies. These policies aim at accelerating the adoption of cleaner vehicles by taking old vehicles out of the fleet, while supporting the vehicle industry. A scrappage policy must take the whole life cycle of a vehicle into account. Scrapping an old vehicle and manufacturing a new one creates additional environmental impacts which must be taken into consideration. This analysis is based on the comparison of the well-to-wheel (WTW) emissions with the cradle-to-grave (manufacturing, dismantling, recycling and waste treatment) emissions for vehicles with different ages, Euro standards and technologies. Optimizing vehicle’s LTDD (Life Time Driven Distance) causes an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) challenge, combining two contradictory environmental engineering concepts. Letting a vehicle have a longer use phase avoids specific impacts during manufacturing, such as mineral extraction damage and energy usage. Conversely, replacement of an old vehicle with a new, more efficient one can lower the impacts introduced during the use phase. To differentiate between vehicle technologies it is investigated how long it takes until a newly produced car has an environmental return on investment. This period is called the environmental breakeven point.

A valuation of the environmental performance of vehicles: an analysis and comparison of two methodologies

The European Clean Vehicle Directive was introduced in 2009 to create an obligation on public authorities to take into account the impact of energy consumption, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and pollutant emissions into their purchasing decisions for road transport vehicles. This should stimulate the market for clean and energy-efficient vehicles and improve transports impact on environment, climate change and energy use. Therefore the so-called ‘Operational Lifetime Cost’ of a vehicle is calculated, divided into the cost for energy consumption, CO2 and pollutant (nitrous oxide, particulate matter, non-methane hydrocarbons) emissions. In Belgium, a different methodology has been developed to calculate the environmental impact of a vehicle, called ‘Ecoscore’, based on a well-to-wheel approach. More pollutants are included compared to the Clean Vehicle methodology, but also indirect emissions are taken into account. In this paper, both methodologies are compared and used to analyze the environmental performance of passenger cars with different fuel types and from different vehicle segments. Similar rankings between both methodologies are obtained; however, the large impact of energy use (and CO2 emissions) in the Clean Vehicle methodology disadvantages compressed natural gas cars, as well as diesel cars equipped with particulate filters, compared to the Ecoscore methodology.

LCA of Conventional and Alternative Vehicles Using a “Data Range-Based Modeling System”

This paper on using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for conventional and alternative vehicles is from the proceedings of 14th international Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment in the 21st Century, which was held in Malta in 2008. The authors propose the LCA method to help public authorities to be able to take the most appropriate and efficient policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; LCA can provide relevant and complete life cycle environmental impact data for each vehicle technology. The authors describe a special modeling system (RangeLCA), that uses a range of values instead of averaged ones, and that takes into account the potential variability of the data. They use temporary LCA results on the Volkswagen Touareg and the Volkswagen Golf, and a sensitivity analysis of different parameters, to discuss the advantages of the RangeLCA method. They conclude that the range-based modeling LCA offers improvements in the reliability and the accuracy of LCA results by taking into account all of the possible situations and their influences on each other.