Key issues in life cycle assessment of electric vehicles — Findings in the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (HEV)

Electric vehicles have the potential to substitute for conventional vehicles and to contribute to the sustainable development of the transportation sector worldwide, e.g. reduction of greenhouse gas and particle emissions. There is an international consensus that the improvement of the sustainability of electric vehicles can only be analysed on the basis of life cycle assessment (LCA) including the production, operation and the end of life of the vehicles. Based on LCA activities in the 17 member countries, the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (IA-HEV) works in a Task on the LCA of electric vehicles. In this Task 19 “Life Cycle Assessment of Electric Vehicles — From raw material resources to waste management of vehicles with an electric drivetrain” the key issues of applying LCA to EVs&HEVs are identified and applied in various case studies. The following seven categories of key issues were identified, analysed and applied in “best practice” applications: 1) General issues, 2) Life cycle modelling, 3) Vehicle cycle (production — use — end of life), 4) Fuel cycle (electricity production), 5) Inventory analyses, 6) Impact assessment and 7) Reference system. For these seven key issues the main relevant factors were identified, reviewed and verified in international “best practice” applications.