Cradle-to-Grave Lifecycle Analysis of U.S. Light-Duty Vehicle-Fuel Pathways: A Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Assessment of Current (2020) and Future (2030-2035) Technologies

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1875764· OSTI ID:1875764

Kelly, Jarod C. ^[1]; Elgowainy, Amgad ^[1]; Isaac, Raphael ^[2]; Ward, Jacob ^[2]; Islam, Ehsan ^[1]; Rousseau, Aymeric ^[1]; Sutherland, Ian ^[3]; Wallington, Timothy J. ^[4]; Alexander, Marcus ^[5]; Muratori, Matteo ^[6]; Franklin, Matthew ^[7]; Adams, Jesse ^[2]; Rustagi, Neha ^[2]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
2. US Department of Energy (USDOE), Washington DC (United States)
3. General Motors LLC, Detroit, MI (United States)
4. Ford Motor Company, Detroit, MI (United States)
5. Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States)
6. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
7. Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, CA (United States)

This study provides a comprehensive life cycle analysis (LCA), or cradle-to-grave (C2G) analysis, of the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a variety of vehicle-fuel pathways, the levelized cost of driving (LCD) and cost of avoided GHG emissions. The C2G analysis assesses light duty midsize sedans and small sport utility vehicles (SUVs) across a variety of vehicle-fuel technology pathways, including conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), flexible hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) with varying vehicle ranges, and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Coming at a timely manner, given the marked increase, since 2016, in climate aspirations announced by governmental institutions and private firms both in the US and across the globe, this analysis builds on a previous comprehensive life cycle analysis, updating that study’s 2016 assumptions and methods (Elgowainy et al. 2016). These updates incorporate technological advances and changes in energy supply sources that have emerged during the intervening period. Utilizing these updated assumptions and methods, alongside more recent data, the present report accounts for a broader range of vehicle technologies and considers both current (2020) and expected future (2030-2035) conditions. Reflecting increased research interest in synthetic liquid fuels produced using renewable low-carbon electricity and CO₂ sources, electro-fuels (a.k.a. e-fuels) were added to the potential future fuel technologies that are evaluated. This study takes a “pathway” approach rather than a “scenario” approach; hence distinct, technically feasible, routes or sequences of processes starting with one or more feedstocks and ending with an intermediate or a final product are examined, not necessarily constrained by practical feedstock, economic, policy, and market considerations.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO)
• Contributing Organization: US DRIVE Partnership Integrated Systems Analysis Technical Team
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1875764
• Report Number(s): ANL-22/27; 176270
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS