scholarly journals Impact of transport electrification on critical metal sustainability with a focus on the heavy-duty segment

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Hao ◽  
Yong Geng ◽  
James E. Tate ◽  
Feiqi Liu ◽  
Kangda Chen ◽  
...  

AbstractThe majority of transport electrification studies, examining the demand and sustainability of critical metals, have focused on light-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty vehicles have often been excluded from the research scope due to their smaller vehicle stock and slower pace of electrification. This study fills this research gap by evaluating the lithium resource impacts from electrification of the heavy-duty segment at the global level. Our results show that a mass electrification of the heavy-duty segment on top of the light-duty segment would substantially increase the lithium demand and impose further strain on the global lithium supply. The significant impact is attributed to the large single-vehicle battery capacity required by heavy-duty vehicles and the expected battery replacement needed within the lifetime of heavy-duty vehicles. We suggest that the ambition of mass electrification in the heavy-duty segment should be treated with cautions for both policy makers and entrepreneurs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Ram Vijayagopal ◽  
Aymeric Rousseau

The benefits of electrified powertrains for light-duty vehicles are well understood, however sufficient published information is not available on the benefits of advanced powertrains on the various types of medium and heavy duty vehicles. Quantifying the benefits of powertrain electrification will help fleet operators understand the advantages or limitations in adopting electrified powertrains in their truck fleets. Trucks vary in size and shape, as they are designed for specific applications. It is necessary to model each kind of truck separately to understand what kind of powertrain architecture will be feasible for their daily operations. This paper examines 11 types of vehicles and 5 powertrain technology choices to quantify the fuel saving potential of each design choice. This study uses the regulatory cycles proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for measuring fuel consumption.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaël Clairotte ◽  
Ricardo Suarez-Bertoa ◽  
Alessandro A. Zardini ◽  
Barouch Giechaskiel ◽  
Jelica Pavlovic ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Road transport is an important contributor to the European Union’s total greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims at summarizing methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) exhaust emissions from L-category, light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles in the European Union. The assessment is based on measurements carried out in the Vehicle Emission Laboratory of the Joint Research Centre between 2009 and 2019. The exhaust chemical composition from a fleet of 38 L-category vehicles Euro 1 to Euro 4 (2- and 3-wheelers, small quadricycles such as quads and minicars), 63 light-duty vehicles from Euro 5b to Euro 6d-TEMP (passenger cars, including hybrid vehicles), and 27 light commercial and heavy-duty vehicles from pre-Euro I to Euro VI (including lorries, buses and garbage trucks) was analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results CH4 emission factors monitored were from 1 to 234 mg/km for L-category vehicles (mean: 39 mg/km), from 0.1 to 40 mg/km for light-duty vehicles (mean: 7 mg/km), and from non-detectable to 320 mg/km for heavy-duty vehicles (mean: 19 mg/km). N2O emission factors monitored were from non-detectable to 5 mg/km for L-category vehicles (mean: 1 mg/km), from non-detectable to 40 mg/km for light-duty vehicles (mean: 7 mg/km), and from non-detectable to 118 mg/km for heavy-duty vehicles (mean: 19 mg/km). According to the 100-year Global Warming Potential of these greenhouse gases, these emissions corresponded to a range from negligible up to 9 g/km of CO2-equivalent for CH4 and from negligible up to 32 g/km of CO2-equivalent for N2O. Conclusions The higher contributors of CH4 were the two-stroke mopeds included in the L-category vehicles, while the higher emissions of N2O were found in the modern (Euro 5–6 or Euro V–VI) diesel light- and heavy-duty vehicles. Among them, vehicles complying with Euro 6 and Euro VI standard were associated to higher N2O emissions compared to those associated to Euro 5 and pre-Euro IV standards, which could be attributed to the introduction of the after-treatment systems designed to fulfill more stringent NOx standards. These updated emission factors and unique on its kind database represent a source of information for legislators and modelers to better assess the greenhouse gas emission reduction in the EU transport sector.


Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 404
Author(s):  
Tommaso Selleri ◽  
Anastasios D. Melas ◽  
Ameya Joshi ◽  
Dario Manara ◽  
Adolfo Perujo ◽  
...  

This paper reviews the recent advances in the management of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the internal combustion engine of light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, addressing both technical and legal aspects. Particular focus is devoted to the often-virtuous interaction between new legislation imposing more restrictions on the permitted pollutant emission levels and new technologies developed in order to meet these restrictions. The review begins first with the American and then European directives promulgated in the 1970s, aimed at limiting emissions of pollutants from road transport vehicles. Particular attention is paid to the introduction of the Euro standards in the European Union for light- and heavy-duty vehicles, used as a legal and time frame reference for the evolution of emission aftertreatment systems (ATSs). The paper also describes governmental approaches implemented for the control of pollutant emissions in circulating vehicles, such as market surveillance and in-service conformity. In parallel, it is explained how the gradual introduction of small-scale devices aimed at the NOx control, such as lean NOx traps (LNTs) systems, and, most of all, the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx, permitted the application to road-transport vehicles of this ATS, originally designed in larger sizes for industrial usage. The paper reviews chemical processes occurring in SCR systems and their advantages and drawbacks with respect to the pollutant emission limits imposed by the legislation. Their potential side effects are also addressed, such as the emission of extra, not-yet regulated pollutants such as, for example, NH3 and N2O. The NOx, N2O, and NH3 emission level evolution with the various Euro standards for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles are reported in the light of experimental data obtained at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. It is observed that the new technologies, boosted by increasingly stricter legal limits, have led in the last two decades to a clear decrease of over one order of magnitude of NOx emissions in Diesel light-duty vehicles, bringing them to the same level as Euro 6 gasoline vehicles (10 mg/km to 20 mg/km in average). On the other hand, an obvious increase in the emissions of both NH3 and N2O is observed in both Diesel and gasoline light-duty vehicles, whereby NH3 emissions in spark-ignition vehicles are mainly linked to two-reaction mechanisms occurring in three-way catalysts after the catalyst light-off and during engine rich-operation. NH3 emissions measured in recent Euro 6 light-duty vehicles amount to a few mg/km for both gasoline and Diesel engines, whereby N2O emissions exceeding a dozen mg/km have been observed in Diesel vehicles only. The present paper can be regarded as part of a general assessment in view of the next EU emission standards, and a discussion on the role the SCR technology may serve as a NOx emission control strategy from lean-burn vehicles.


Author(s):  
Parisa Bastani ◽  
John B. Heywood ◽  
Chris Hope

On-road transportation contributes 22% of the total CO2 emissions and more than 44% of oil consumption in the U.S. Technological advancements and use of alternative fuels are often suggested as ways to reduce these emissions. However, many parameters and relationships that determine the future characteristics of the light-duty vehicle fleet and how they change over time are inherently uncertain. Policy makers need to make decisions today given these uncertainties, to shape the future of light-duty vehicles. Decision makers thus need to know the impact of uncertainties on the outcome of their decisions and the associated risks. This paper explores a carefully constructed detailed pathway that results in a significant reduction in fuel use and GHG emissions in 2050. Inputs are assigned realistic uncertainty bounds, and the impact of uncertainty on this pathway is analyzed. A novel probabilistic fleet model is used here to quantify the uncertainties within advanced vehicle technology development, and life-cycle emissions of alternative fuels and renewable sources. Based on the results from this study, the expected fuel use is about 500 and 350 billion litres gasoline equivalent, with a standard deviation of about 40 and 80 billion litres in years 2030 and 2050 respectively. The expected CO2 emissions are about 1,360 and 840 Mt CO2 equivalent with a spread of about 130 and 260 Mt CO2 equivalent in 2030 and 2050 respectively. Major contributing factors in determining the future fuel consumption and emissions are also identified and include vehicle scrappage rate, annual growth of vehicle kilometres travelled in the near term, total vehicle sales, fuel consumption of naturally-aspirated engines, and percentage of gasoline displaced by cellulosic ethanol. This type of analysis allows policy makers to better understand the impact of their decisions and proposed policies given the technological and market uncertainties that we face today.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Parisa Bastani ◽  
John B. Heywood ◽  
Chris Hope

On-road transportation contributes 22% of the total CO2 emissions and more than 44% of oil consumption in the U.S. technological advancements and use of alternative fuels are often suggested as ways to reduce these emissions. However, many parameters and relationships that determine the future characteristics of the light-duty vehicle (LDV) fleet and how they change over time are inherently uncertain. Policy makers need to make decisions today given these uncertainties, to shape the future of light-duty vehicles. Decision makers thus need to know the impact of uncertainties on the outcome of their decisions and the associated risks. This paper explores a carefully constructed detailed pathway that results in a significant reduction in fuel use and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in 2050. Inputs are assigned realistic uncertainty bounds, and the impact of uncertainty on this pathway is analyzed. A novel probabilistic fleet model is used here to quantify the uncertainties within advanced vehicle technology development, and life-cycle emissions of alternative fuels and renewable sources. Based on the results from this study, the expected fuel use is about 500 and 350 × 109 l gasoline equivalent, with a standard deviation of about 40 and 80 × 109 l in years 2030 and 2050, respectively. The expected CO2 emissions are about 1360 and 840 Mt CO2 equivalent with a spread of about 130 and 260 Mt CO2 equivalent in 2030 and 2050, respectively. Major contributing factors in determining the future fuel consumption and emissions are also identified and include vehicle scrappage rate, annual growth of vehicle kilometres travelled in the near term, total vehicle sales, fuel consumption of naturally aspirated engines, and percentage of gasoline displaced by cellulosic ethanol. This type of analysis allows policy makers to better understand the impact of their decisions and proposed policies given the technological and market uncertainties that we face today.


2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Grosjean ◽  
Eric Grosjean ◽  
Alan W. Gertler

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