ABSTRACT
As one of the important paths for China to achieve the "dual carbon" strategyï¼ developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is currently being promoted in various regions across the countryï¼ including passenger carsï¼ coachesï¼ and heavy-duty trucks. Quantifying the carbon reduction potential of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for different vehicle types and regions has become a hot research topic. Using a life cycle assessment method that considers future vehicle fuel economyï¼ power generation carbon emission factorsï¼ hydrogen production carbon emission factorsï¼ and regional differences in the scale and hydrogen production methodsï¼ this study quantitatively evaluated the life cycle carbon emissions of different types of vehiclesï¼ including fuel cell vehicles ï¼FCVï¼ï¼ traditional fuel vehicles ï¼ICEVï¼ï¼ and battery electric vehicles ï¼BEVï¼. We compared and analyzed the carbon reduction potential of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at different times and in different regions and conducted an uncertainty analysis on hydrogen consumption per hundred kilometers. The results showed that by 2025ï¼ the life cycle carbon emissions of hydrogen fuel cell coaches would decrease by 36.0% compared to that of traditional fuel coachesï¼ but the reduction in carbon emissions for hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks was not significant. By 2035ï¼ as the hydrogen energy source structure in China continues to improveï¼ the life cycle carbon emissions of hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks were predicted to decrease by 36.5% compared to that of traditional fuel heavy-duty trucks. The decarbonization potential was most significant for heavy-duty trucks compared to that of passenger cars and coaches. Taking the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei demonstration group as an example in 2035ï¼ as the hydrogen consumption per hundred kilometers decreases by 20%ï¼ the carbon reduction potential of FCV passenger carsï¼ coachesï¼ and heavy-duty trucks would increase by 7.29%ï¼ 9.93%ï¼ and 19.57%ï¼ respectively. Thereforeï¼ it is recommended to prioritize the promotion of hydrogen fuel cell coaches in the short termï¼ heavy-duty trucks in the long termï¼ and passenger cars as a supplement. Promoting hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in different regions and stages will help advance the low-carbon development of the automotive industry in China.
ABSTRACT
The development of energy saving and new energy vehicles is an important technology path to reduce carbon emissions for the transportation industry. To quantitatively predict the life cycle carbon emissions of energy saving and new energy vehicles, this study used the life cycle assessment method and selected the fuel economy level, lightweight level, carbon emission factor of electricity structure, and carbon emission factor of hydrogen production as key performance parameters to establish inventories of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV), mild hybrid electrical vehicles (MHEV), heavy hybrid electrical vehicles (HEV), battery electrical vehicles (BEV), and fuel cell vehicles (FCV) based on automotive-related policy and technical routes. The sensitivity of carbon emission factors of electricity structure and different hydrogen production methods were analyzed and discussed. The results showed that the current life cycle carbon emissions (CO2 equivalent) of ICEV, MHEV, HEV, BEV, and FCV were 207.8, 195.2, 149.9, 113.3, and 204.7 g·km-1, respectively. By 2035, BEV and FCV were predicted to have a significant reduction of 69.1% and 49.3%, respectively, compared with ICEV. The carbon emission factor of electricity structure had the most significant influence on BEV life cycle carbon emissions. In terms of different hydrogen production methods of FCV, hydrogen demand should be mainly supplied by industrial hydrogen by-product purification in the short-term future, whereas hydrogen energy production by water electrolysis and hydrogen production from fossil energy combined with carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology should be used to meet the hydrogen demand of FCV in the long-term future, so as to achieve a significant improvement in the life cycle carbon reduction benefits of FCV.
ABSTRACT
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) are regarded as potential solutions to the problems of energy security and environmental pollution. To explore the energy consumption and pollutant emissions of fuel cell vehicle power systems, data inventories of an HFCV power system were established, and quantitative evaluation calculations and prediction analysis were carried out for fuel life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of Chinese fuel cell vehicles in 2030 based on the technology roadmap for new energy vehicles by modeling with GaBi software. The effects of different types of bipolar plates, different energy control strategies, and different hydrogen production methods on the environment were studied, with uncertainty analysis as the key parameter. The results showed that fossil energy consumption (ADPf), global warming potential (GWP, CO2 equivalent), and acidification potential (AP, SO2 equivalent) for the HFCV power system in the fuel life cycle were 1.35×105 MJ, 9108 kg, and 15.79 kg, respectively. The energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the production of the power system were higher than those in the use stage, mainly because of the fuel cell stack and hydrogen storage tank. In the manufacturing process of metal bipolar plates, graphite composite bipolar plates, and graphite bipolar plates, graphite composite bipolar plates had the most comprehensive environmental benefits. Optimizing the energy control strategy will reduce hydrogen energy consumption. When the hydrogen energy consumption was reduced by 22.8%, the life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of the power system were reduced by 10.4% and 8.3%, respectively. For life cycle power systems, the use of hydrogen from electrolysis operated with water power reduced the GWP by approximately 39.6% relative to steam methane reforming. In contrast, the application of hydrogen from electrolysis operated with the Chinese electricity grid mix resulted in an increase in GWP of almost 53.7%. Measures to reduce fossil energy consumption and global warming potential in the life cycle of fuel cell vehicle powertrains include optimizing energy control strategies to reduce hydrogen energy consumption, scaling up the hydrogen production industry using water electrolysis for renewable energy power generation, and focusing on key technologies of fuel cell stacks to improve performance.