"Is the automotive industry's transition to 'all-electric'
the most effective way to decarbonise European
transport?"
- Vehicle lifecycle study (LCA) evaluates the years of use
required for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrids to
off-set the significant amount of C02 emissions generated during
battery production.
- Focused on Europe, the study
considers various factors including multiple electrified technology
options, vehicle segments, average annual vehicle use ranges, as
well as the carbon-intensity of electricity generation required for
production, battery charging, among other factors.
- Contrary to popular perceptions, results point at minimal to no
advantages for BEVs over hybrids in terms of CO2 emissions. Results
challenge the industry's focus on increasing vehicle range via
larger and heavier batteries. It suggests that: (a) aligning
vehicle battery size with intended daily use - versus for the
occasional long trip - is ideal; and that (b) for typical daily
vehicle use, hybrids with low-capacity batteries outperform BEVs in
terms of minimizing emissions.
ROLLE, Switzerland,
Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Garrett
Motion Inc. (Nasdaq: GTX), a differentiated technology provider for
the automotive industry, has published a white paper titled "Is
the automotive industry's transition to 100 percent electric
vehicles the most effective way to decarbonize European
transport?" The study compares the CO2 emissions generated by
battery electric vehicles versus hybrid vehicles throughout their
lifecycle, including the manufacture and use of these vehicles.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the years of use
required for a battery electric vehicle to off-set the amount of
CO2 generated during its life cycle (manufacture and use) compared
to different types of hybrid vehicles. Most emissions are released
during the battery manufacturing process. The larger the battery
capacity, the higher the CO2 emissions. Hybrid or plug-in hybrid
vehicles, by comparison, have batteries of smaller capacity.
Therefore, emissions related to their manufacture are lower than
100 percent electric BEVs.
"We are all pursuing the same goal of reducing total vehicle
emissions to achieve Net Zero. Electrification is essential to
reduce CO2 emissions. But, as our study shows, for certain use
cases some technologies can be less polluting than 100 percent
electric vehicles. It is therefore crucial for consumers to
be able to choose the electrified solution that best suits their
intended use. The 100 percent electric solution adopted only
in Europe is by far not the best
option to reduce CO2 emissions," said Olivier Rabiller,
chairman and CEO of Garrett.
Garrett Motion's vehicle
lifecycle study captures real-world CO2 emissions data from the
European car market, by type of vehicle and by use.
Garrett's analysis complements the findings of other LCA studies
by evaluating factors including a wide range of electrified
technologies (100 percent electric, mild hybrid, hybrid, plug-in
hybrid), different vehicle segments (compact, SUV, sports vehicle,
and light commercial vehicle), the actual average vehicle usage in
Europe as well as the intensity of
electric power generation for production and battery charging.
Vehicle categories:
-
- Mild hybrid (MHEV)
- 100% Hybrid (FHEV)
- Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)
- Battery electric vehicle (BEV)
Types of vehicles:
-
- C-segment (compact sedan)
- C-segment SUV
- Sport Coupe
- Light commercial vehicle
Types of use (mileage) of the vehicle per year:
-
- High mileage - More than 20,000 km/year
- Average mileage - 11,000 km/year or less
- Low mileage – 8,000 km/year, 4,000 km/year or less (2,500
km/year for sports cars)
Garrett Motion's vehicle
lifecycle study shows that the actual use of a vehicle is a
determining factor in calculating its environmental impact.
Throughout its lifecycle (manufacture and use), the use of
a vehicle, regardless of its technology, is a determining factor
when calculating its real-world energy and environmental
performance. Depending on the use, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or
electric technologies may emit more or fewer CO2. A few
examples :
- In Europe, 60 percent of cars
travel 11,300 km per year or less. For this purpose, it will take
at least 12 years for a popular C-segment sedan to reach the
equilibrium point of the total CO2 emissions of an electric
vehicle, compared to a plug-in hybrid vehicle. This means that for
any C-segment vehicle that travels less than these 11,300 km, the
equilibrium point favorable to the battery electric vehicle will be
pushed back in time. This duration lengthens for vehicles of
greater weight, battery capacity and increasing autonomy.
- Plug-in hybrids are the least CO2-emitting choice compared to
battery electric vehicles:
- For the C-segment sedan driver who drives 4000 km or less per
year, about 20 percent of European drivers.
- For the C-segment SUV driver who drives 8,000 km or less per
year, about 35 percent of European drivers.
- For the driver who drives at least 20,000 km per year (10
percent of European drivers), the choice of 100-percent electric
vehicle becomes preferable after 5 years of use.
Aligning the battery size of an electrified technology with the
intended daily use, versus the occasional long trip, is ideal to
avoid excess battery capacity and unnecessary emissions. For
typical daily vehicle use in Europe, hybrids with low-capacity batteries
outperform BEVs with oversized batteries in terms of minimizing
emissions.
Thus, most battery electric vehicles have no intrinsic advantage
over other electrified technologies in terms of total CO2 emissions
over their lifetime. In fact, ongoing efforts to increase the
autonomy of BEVs without accounting for C02 generated during
production and for intended real-world uses can be
counterproductive to emission reduction goals.
Garrett's LCA study suggests that, to meet the challenge of CO2
reductions as effectively as possible, battery electric vehicles
and hybrid vehicles should be used together, in a complementary way
to meet a wide variety of daily uses. Hence, the study
concludes that the "100 percent BEV" mandates, such as the one to
be implemented in Europe by 2035,
is not an optimal solution to reduce the environmental impact of
cars and commercial vehicles.
This study does not take into account key challenges beyond
lifecycle CO2 emissions, such as the extraction of minerals needed
to manufacture batteries and the costs associated with vehicle
electrification. Electrification costs represent a major obstacle
for widespread adoption and are mainly associated with the size of
the battery and the materials required (e.g., copper, lithium).
Notably, cost reductions expected from mass battery production
yielding economies of scale remain small, given material price
volatility and inflation triggered by growing demand.
Considering the contribution of batteries to the costs passed on
to consumers, the above is further evidence of the importance of
optimizing battery sizes according to the intended daily use, with
hybrids and plug-in hybrids offering cost-efficient alternatives in
many cases.
To read the white paper, visit Garrett Motion's Knowledge Center.
To read press release, with LCA methodology and insights, and to
downloadable image visit our Media Room.
About Garrett Motion Inc. - Garrett Motion is a differentiated technology
leader serving automotive customers worldwide for nearly 70 years.
Known for its global leadership in turbocharging, the company
develops transformative technologies for vehicles to become cleaner
and more efficient. Its advanced technologies help reduce emissions
and reach zero emissions via passenger and commercial vehicle
applications – for on and off-highway use. Its portfolio includes
turbochargers, electric turbos (E-Turbo) and electric compressors
(E-Compressor) for both ICE and hybrid powertrains. In the
zero-emissions vehicle category, the company offers fuel cell
compressors for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) as well as
electric propulsion and thermal management systems for battery
electric vehicles (BEVs). Garrett boasts five R&D centers, 13
manufacturing sites and a team of 9300 people located in more than
20 countries. Its mission is to empower the transportation industry
to further advance motion through unique, differentiated
innovations. For more information, please visit
www.garrettmotion.com.
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