The aim of the task is to design systems for the production and operation of vehicles with diesel, electric, and hydrogen fuel cell drive. We selected three vehicles and based on manufacturer data available online, we constructed a model with which we will calculate the carbon footprint of the processes that comprise these systems using the Sphera and Ecoinvent databases. Our main goal is to compare the carbon footprint of these vehicles in the production and operation phases. We will utilize a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis method, which is used to calculate the environmental impacts of processes and products using the Environmental Footprint – EF(3.1) methodology. We have also included the necessary services and recommended battery and hydrogen fuel cell stack replacements. For comparing the environmental impact of electricity required for vehicle propulsion and hydrogen production processes, we have also used three different electric blends obtained from databases. In addition to electrolysis, we modeled steam methane reforming for hydrogen production. We found that the diesel vehicle produces the highest overall carbon footprint.
|
