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Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Propulsion Systems for Heavy-Duty Transport Applications

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  • Sam Simons

    (Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK)

  • Ulugbek Azimov

    (Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK)

Abstract

To meet climate change challenges, the UK government is aiming to reach zero emissions by 2050. The heavy-duty transportation sector contributes 17% to the UKs total emissions, so to combat this, alternative power units to traditional fossil fuel-reliant internal combustion engines (ICEs) are being utilized and investigated. Hydrogen fuel cells are a key area of interest to try and reduce these transportation emissions. To gain a true view of the impact that hydrogen fuel cells can have, this study looks at the impact the manufacturing of a fuel cell has upon the environment, from material extraction through to the usage phase. This was done through the use of a lifecycle assessment following ISO 14040 standards, with hydrogen systems being compared to alternative systems. This study has found that whilst fuel cells depend upon energy intensive materials for their construction, it is possible to reduce emissions by 34–87% compared to ICE systems, depending upon the source of hydrogen used. This study shows that hydrogen fuel cells are a viable option for heavy-duty transport that can be utilized to meet the target emissions reduction level by 2050.

Suggested Citation

  • Sam Simons & Ulugbek Azimov, 2021. "Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Propulsion Systems for Heavy-Duty Transport Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:11:p:3079-:d:562187
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sebastian Wolff & Moritz Seidenfus & Karim Gordon & Sergio Álvarez & Svenja Kalt & Markus Lienkamp, 2020. "Scalable Life-Cycle Inventory for Heavy-Duty Vehicle Production," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-22, July.
    2. Olivier Bethoux, 2020. "Hydrogen Fuel Cell Road Vehicles and Their Infrastructure: An Option towards an Environmentally Friendly Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-27, November.
    3. Aritra Ghosh, 2020. "Possibilities and Challenges for the Inclusion of the Electric Vehicle (EV) to Reduce the Carbon Footprint in the Transport Sector: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-22, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Renjie Wang & Yuanyuan Song & Honglei Xu & Yue Li & Jie Liu, 2022. "Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Consumption and CO 2 Emission from HEV, PHEV and BEV for China in the Past, Present and Future," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.

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