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Route-based time-dependent life cycle greenhouse gas and NOₓ emissions analysis of heavy-duty trucks

Author

Listed:
  • Sinha, Arnav
  • Wang, Yen Cheng
  • Sapra, Harsh
  • Gupta, Saurabh
  • Kokjohn, Sage
  • Mitsingas, Constandinos
  • Kweon, Chol-Bum M.

Abstract

The electrification of Class-8 heavy-duty (HD) trucks is gaining traction due to the potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions to combat climate change. Hence, a life-cycle analysis (LCA) must be used to conduct a comprehensive emissions analysis of the vehicle's lifecycle. The current literature lacks studies conducted on Class-8 trucks, time-of-day impact on GHG emissions from electricity generation, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to investigate the potential GHG and NOx emissions reductions achieved with battery electric (BE) and series-hybrid (SHE) trucks when compared to a conventional diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) Class-8 truck using a regional and time-of-day dependent electricity grid. A vehicle simulation tool was used to connect modular powertrain components to simulate the real-time performance, energy consumption, and emissions of the three powertrains with dynamic drive cycle data as input. Additionally, the LCA accounted for emissions uncertainties from manufacturing, maintenance, fuel, and electricity production using a Monte Carlo simulation. The truck's emissions were evaluated over a cross-country highway “long-haul” route and two urban “drayage” routes for last-mile delivery. A future grid assumption was applied to the time-dependent grid to take the increase in the use of renewables over ten years into account. The LCA results show that for drayage routes in regions with a large share of renewable sources of electricity, BE trucks are best suited for operation, emitting 22 % less GHG and comparable NOₓ to the SHE truck. On the other hand, along the long-haul and the drayage route in regions with significant use of non-renewable sources of energy, the SHE truck had the lowest emissions overall with 40 % and 48 % less GHG and NOₓ respectively than the BE truck. After considering future grid emissions reduction from 2023 to 2032, the BE truck's emissions were reduced by 10–13 % compared to the ICE truck. Despite this reduction, the BE truck had greater GHG and NOₓ emissions during long-haul and drayage operation in regions with emissions intensive grids than the SHE truck.

Suggested Citation

  • Sinha, Arnav & Wang, Yen Cheng & Sapra, Harsh & Gupta, Saurabh & Kokjohn, Sage & Mitsingas, Constandinos & Kweon, Chol-Bum M., 2025. "Route-based time-dependent life cycle greenhouse gas and NOₓ emissions analysis of heavy-duty trucks," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 401(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:401:y:2025:i:pa:s0306261925013467
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126616
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Santiago Martinez-Boggio & Javier Monsalve-Serrano & Antonio García & Pedro Curto-Risso, 2023. "High Degree of Electrification in Heavy-Duty Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-20, April.
    2. Ilya Kulikov & Andrey Kozlov & Alexey Terenchenko & Kirill Karpukhin, 2020. "Comparative Study of Powertrain Hybridization for Heavy-Duty Vehicles Equipped with Diesel and Gas Engines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-23, April.
    3. Marmiroli, Benedetta & Venditti, Mattia & Dotelli, Giovanni & Spessa, Ezio, 2020. "The transport of goods in the urban environment: A comparative life cycle assessment of electric, compressed natural gas and diesel light-duty vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    4. Bamidele Victor Ayodele & Siti Indati Mustapa, 2020. "Life Cycle Cost Assessment of Electric Vehicles: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, March.
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