Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Propulsion Systems for Heavy-Duty Transport Applications

Sam Simons and Ulugbek Azimov
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Sam Simons: Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
Ulugbek Azimov: Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: To meet climate change challenges, the UK government is aiming to reach zero emissions by 2050. The heavy-duty transportation sector contributes 17% to the UKs total emissions, so to combat this, alternative power units to traditional fossil fuel-reliant internal combustion engines (ICEs) are being utilized and investigated. Hydrogen fuel cells are a key area of interest to try and reduce these transportation emissions. To gain a true view of the impact that hydrogen fuel cells can have, this study looks at the impact the manufacturing of a fuel cell has upon the environment, from material extraction through to the usage phase. This was done through the use of a lifecycle assessment following ISO 14040 standards, with hydrogen systems being compared to alternative systems. This study has found that whilst fuel cells depend upon energy intensive materials for their construction, it is possible to reduce emissions by 34–87% compared to ICE systems, depending upon the source of hydrogen used. This study shows that hydrogen fuel cells are a viable option for heavy-duty transport that can be utilized to meet the target emissions reduction level by 2050.

Keywords: climate change; global warming potential; heavy-duty transport; hydrogen; fuel cell; life cycle analysis; greenhouse gas emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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