Life Cycle Assessment of Fuel Cell and Battery Electric Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks
We will conduct a cradle-to-grave comparative life cycle assessment of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks of different powertrains. Specifically, we will compare battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). This will include trucks ranging from class 4 to class 8 and encompass a wide range of uses, including delivery vehicles, service trucks, food and beverage trucks, city and school buses, and semitrucks. Each of these vehicles have different technical capabilities and route characteristics that will impact their environmental performance. Furthermore, geographic factors, such as temperature, and upstream factors, such as grid emissions intensity and hydrogen production methods, will determine each vehicle’s environmental impact. We will quantify the impact across the range of vehicle sizes, operating conditions, and vehicle uses to determine which powertrains are best suited to which types of vehicles.