Life Cycle Assessment of Battery Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles Considering the Impact of Electricity Generation Mix: A Case Study in China

• Published in: Atmosphere
• Main Authors: Bowen Tang, Yi Xu, Mingyang Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2022-02-01
• Subjects: CO₂ emission; battery electric vehicles; electricity generation mix; life cycle assessment; electricity carbon intensity
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/2/252

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are considered to have higher energy efficiency and advantages to better control CO₂ emissions compared to Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs). However, in the context that a large amount of thermal power is still used in developing countries, the CO₂ emission reduction effectiveness of BEVs can be weakened or even counterproductive. To reveal the impact of the electricity generation mix on carbon emissions from vehicles, this paper compares the life cycle carbon emissions of BEVs with ICEVs considering the regional disparity of electricity generation mix in China. According to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis and regional electricity carbon intensity, this study demonstrates that BEVs in the region with high penetration of thermal power produce more CO₂ emissions, while BEVs in the region with higher penetration of renewable energy have better environmental performance in carbon emission reduction. For instance, in the region with over 50% penetration of renewable energy, a BEV can reduce more CO₂ (18.32 t) compared to an ICEV. Therefore, the regions with high carbon emissions from vehicles need to increase the proportion of renewable generation as a priority rather than promoting BEVs.