Projects

Electrification of light duty vehicles is a key decarbonization strategy for the transportation sector, and the landscape of electric vehicles is rapidly evolving. Decarbonization for electric vehicles is heavily driven by the various sources used to power regional electricity grids. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions factors for electricity grids are constantly changing, especially given recent efforts and plans for grid decarbonization. Life cycle vehicle greenhouse gas emissions are also impacted by certain vehicle characteristics (powertrain, vehicle class, battery size) and use patterns (regional temperature, drive cycle, utility factor, cargo loads).

Considering the variety of options consumers have when purchasing a new vehicle and the diversity of vehicle use patterns, we developed a comprehensive model to compare lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a broad array of vehicle powertrain and class combinations (ICEV, HEV, PHEV, BEV ; sedan, SUV, pickup) across a full range of use patterns factoring in location (grid and temperature), drive cycle, utility factor, and cargo loads.

We've developed a Vehicle Lifecycle Emissions Calculator based on our model for users to compare GHG emissions of vehicle powertrain and class combinations with different locations and driving patterns.