Fuel-Cycle Assessment Of Energy And Environmental Impacts From Electric Vehicles And Natural Gas Vehicles

With the rapid growth of vehicle population in China, the energy consumption and environmental pollution brought by vehicles have become increasingly significant. The Chinese government paid attention to the new energy vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles recently, because they can reduce the pollutants emissions largely during the vehciel operation stage. Considering the energy consumption and pollutant emissions in the upstream stage, the life cycle analysis is important for the evaluation of energy saving and pollutant emissions reduction from new energy vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles.This study established the time series life cycle analysis database for light-duty vehicles and buses and life cycle analysis methodology for electric vehicles, CNG vehicles and gasoline/diesel vehicles, then evaluated the energy consumption and pollutant emissions of vehicles in the national, regional and city levels. The study further established the life cycle analysis methodology for light-duty vehicle fleet and bus fleet to assess the energy saving and pollutant emissions reduction for vehicle fleet and put forward the policy suggestion for the development of new energy vehicles in the furture.This study showed that the BEV and CNGV were of great significance for the oil security of China. They almost elimated the oil consumption, but they reduced one type of fossil fuel(petroleum) according to the increase of another type(coal and natural gas). The fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of BEV have been largely effected by the electricity mix, generating efficiency and fuel economy of vehicles. Therefore, this study researched the quantitative response relationship between the breakeven point of CO2 emissions and the fuel economy, generating efficiency and coal share, in order to give the different developing route for three regions.Meanwhile, the study analysed the impact of air pollutant emissions rule from the energy structure, power plant technology improvement, emission control of vehicles and fuel economy. For the VOC and CO emisisons, which mainly come from the vehicle operation stage, the EVs can reduce the VOC and CO emissions significantly in the fule life cycle, and the BEV has the best reduction benefit of above 95%. For the PM2.5 and SO2 emissions,which mainly from the upstream stage, the promotion of EVs will lead the reduction of pollutant emissions during the vehicle operation and the increase of the power plants. Therefore, the government should improve the clean energy in the power plants and increase the dust removal and sweetener equiments, in order to obtain the pollutant emissions reduction of the vehciel fleet.Furthermore, this study researched the pollutant emissions difference between light-duty vehicle and bus. The light-duty BEV and the BEV bus had the opposite results in NOX emissions. The light-duty BEV greatly depended on the electricity generation mix. Therefore in 2015 light-duty BEV in PRD can reduce NOX emission by 6%, compared to ICEV; But light-duty BEV in JJJ increase NOX emission by 40%. Differently, the BEV bus is the best choice to reduce WTW NOX emissions by 80%~90%, compared to DV.