In the transport sector, several EU-level policies have been put in place to tackle sectoral environmental impacts and support the transition towards a low-carbon, circular economy. Road transport, in particular, is responsible for a range of environmental impacts. To support researchers, industries, and policy makers in macro- and mini-economic decision contexts, it is paramount to assess the sustainability of new vehicle technologies and components along their entire life cycle, taking the synergies with renewable fuel pathways into account.
To this end, a Well-to-Wheel (WTW) analysis of vehicle emissions in real world conditions must be integrated to the impact assessment associated to raw material acquisition, manufacturing, distribution, and end-of-life. The WTW analysis can rely on state-of-the-art facilities (such as: CARS@Polito lab for vehicle and automotive component testing; DENERG test bed to characterize the steady-state tire behavior) to provide the primary data for energy consumption and environmental impact estimation of the vehicle use-phase.
Recent activities:
- Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA)/Life-Cycle-Cost (LCC)/Total-Cost-of-Ownership (TCO) of conventional, alternative fuelled, FCEV and BEV vehicles
- LCA/LCC of automotive and power generation components: eMotor, battery packs, eDrivetrains, H2 ICE, turbine rotors (new and with life-extension)
- Methodological approaches for carbon and environmental footprint estimation within the EU battery regulation and PEF-CR
Contacts:
- Prof. Ezio Spessa: http://www.pt-erc.polito.it/
- Prof. Claudio Dongiovanni: https://www.polito.it/en/staff?p=claudio.dongiovanni