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An integrated method to calculate an automobile's emissions throughout its life cycle

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  • Viñoles-Cebolla, Rosario
  • Bastante-Ceca, María José
  • Capuz-Rizo, Salvador F.

Abstract

Although studies can be found in the literature that present emissions inventories associated with different types of automobiles, distinct technologies or various stages of their life cycles, they do not enable us to compare the environmental impact of the complete life cycle of two vehicles. This is because there is no valid emissions inventory for all types of automobiles that covers all the life cycle stages (the cradle to grave approach). This paper proposes a method to estimate the principal types of emissions throughout a vehicle's life cycle based on primary data (weight, year of manufacture, engine technology, fuel type used, etc.). The proposed method requires neither sophisticated life cycle assessment software nor knowledge of specific information on individual vehicles. The proposal has been validated by analyzing three different gasoline and diesel-fueled internal combustion engine vehicles and by considering a life span of 100,000 km.

Suggested Citation

  • Viñoles-Cebolla, Rosario & Bastante-Ceca, María José & Capuz-Rizo, Salvador F., 2015. "An integrated method to calculate an automobile's emissions throughout its life cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 125-136.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:83:y:2015:i:c:p:125-136
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2015.02.006
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    4. Noori, Mehdi & Tatari, Omer, 2016. "Development of an agent-based model for regional market penetration projections of electric vehicles in the United States," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 215-230.
    5. Zhao, Yang & Tatari, Omer, 2015. "A hybrid life cycle assessment of the vehicle-to-grid application in light duty commercial fleet," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P2), pages 1277-1286.
    6. Dan Yu & Bart Dewancker & Fanyue Qian, 2020. "The Identification and Rebound Effect Evaluation of Equipment Energy Efficiency Improvement Policy: A Case Study on Japan’s Top Runner Policy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-18, August.

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