Sustainable mobility - Electric vehicles

Title

Application for ECQFD for enabling environmentally conscious design and sustainable development in an electric vehicle

Reference

Clean Technologies & Environmental Policy
Vol 13, Number 2, 381-396
DOI: 10.1007/s10098-010-0317-1

Author(s)

S Vinodh and Gopinath Rathod

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Environmental consciousness is regarded as a vital concept for survival in the competitive market scenario. The need for infusing environmental consciousness during early stage of product design is important. This reports a study which is focused on the application of Environmentally Conscious Quality Function Deployment (ECQFD) to an electric vehicle. ECQFD consists of four phases. ECQFD phases I and II are concerned with the identification important parts of electric vehicle that are vital for improving the environmental consciousness. ECQFD phases III and IV are used to analyze which design changes among the formulated design options of electric vehicle are most effective with regard to environmental improvement. The study results indicate that it could be applied in early product design and development stages for ensuring sustainability.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental technologies >> Climate change mitigation >> Low carbon technologies
Sustainable mobility >> Green transport technologies >> Electric vehicles

Keywords

Quality Function Deployment, Product Design, Environmentally Conscious Quality Function, Deployment, Design for Environment

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/06312760440l675q/
There is a fee to view this study in full

Contact the study author at:

vinodh_sekar82@yahoo.com

Title

Life Cycle Environmental Assessment of Lithium-Ion and Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries for Plug-In Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles

Reference

Environmental Science & Technology, 2011; : 110420102855020 DOI: 10.1021/es103607c

Author(s)

Guillaume Majeau-Bettez, Troy R. Hawkins, Anders Hammer Strømman

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This study presents the life cycle assessment (LCA) of three batteries for plug-in hybrid and full performance battery electric vehicles. A transparent life cycle inventory (LCI) was compiled in a component-wise manner for nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel cobalt manganese lithium-ion (NCM), and iron phosphate lithium-ion (LFP) batteries. The battery systems were investigated with a functional unit based on energy storage, and environmental impacts were analyzed using midpoint indicators. On a per-storage basis, the NiMH technology was found to have the highest environmental impact, followed by NCM and then LFP, for all categories considered except ozone depletion potential. We found higher life cycle global warming emissions than have been previously reported. Detailed contribution and structural path analyses allowed for the identification of the different processes and value-chains most directly responsible for these emissions. This article contributes a public and detailed inventory, which can be easily be adapted to any powertrain, along with readily usable environmental performance assessments.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental technologies >> Climate change mitigation >> Low carbon and renewable energy
Environmental technologies >> Pollution control >> Low polluting technologies
Sustainable mobility >> Green transport technologies >> Electric vehicles

Keywords

N/A

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es103607c
There is a fee to view this study in full

Contact the study author at:

guillaume.majeau-bettez@ntnu.no