Skip to main content

Life-Cycle Analysis of Vehicle Lightweighting: A Review

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Electric, Hybrid, and Fuel Cell Vehicles
  • Originally published in

Glossary

AHSS:

Advanced high-strength steel

BEVs:

Battery electric vehicles

CAFE:

Corporate Average Fuel Economy

CFRP:

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

DOE:

US Department of Energy

EPA:

US Environmental Protection Agency

FRVs:

Fuel reduction values

GFRP:

Glass fiber reinforced plastic

GHGs:

Greenhouse gas emissions

GREET®:

Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation

HEVs:

Hybrid electric vehicles

HSS:

High-strength steel

ICEVs:

Internal combustion engine vehicles

LCA:

Life-cycle analysis

MMLV:

Multi Material Lightweight Vehicle

MYs:

Model years

NHTSA:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NOx:

Oxides of nitrogen

OEMs:

Original equipment manufacturers

PHEVs:

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

SOx:

Sulfur oxides

SUVs:

Sports utility vehicles

Introduction and Motivation

Concerns regarding US dependence on foreign oil and vehicle sector pollutant emissions have motivated efforts to reduce petroleum consumption [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 449.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  1. Steffen W et al (1998) The terrestrial carbon cycle: implications for the Kyoto protocol. Science 280(5368):1393–1394

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. O’Neill BC, Oppenheimer M (2002) Climate change: dangerous climate impacts and the Kyoto protocol. Science 296(5575):1971–1972

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Susan S (2007) Climate change 2007-the physical science basis: working group I contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, vol 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ford JD, Berrang-Ford L, Paterson J (2011) A systematic review of observed climate change adaptation in developed nations. Clim Chang 106(2):327–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis: working group I contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  6. Mashayekh Y et al (2012) Potentials for sustainable transportation in cities to alleviate climate change impacts. Environ Sci Technol 46(5):2529–2537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Davis SC, Diegel SW, Boundy RG (2014 Transportation energy data book: edition 33. ORNL-6990, Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Knoxville

    Google Scholar 

  8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2010) EPA and NHTSA finalize historic national program to reduce greenhouse gases and improve fuel economy for cars and trucks. EPA-420-F-10-014, U.S. EPA: Washington

    Google Scholar 

  9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2012) 2017 and later model year light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and corporate average fuel economy standards U.S. EPA; U.S. NHTSA: Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  10. US EPA and NHTSA. The safer affordable fuel-efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021–2026 Passenger cars and light trucks. Proposed Rule NHTSA-2018-0067; EPA-HQ-OAR-2018– 0283; FRL-9981-74-OAR

    Google Scholar 

  11. Davis SC, Boundy RG (2018) Transportation energy data book: edition 37. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge

    Google Scholar 

  12. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2014) Light duty automotive technology, carbon dioxide emissions, and fuel economy trends: 1975–2014. EPA-420-R-14-023

    Google Scholar 

  13. Dai Q, Kelly JC, Elgowainy A (2017) Life cycle analysis of 1995–2014 US light-duty vehicle fleet: the environmental implications of vehicle material composition changes. SAE Int J Mater Manuf 10:378–384. https://doi.org/10.4271/2017-01-1273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Singh H (2012) Mass reduction for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017–2025. Report No DOT HS 811 666

    Google Scholar 

  15. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2012) Light-duty vehicle mass reduction and cost analysis – midsize crossover utility vehicle. EPA-420-R-12-026

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sarkar R. Multi-material lightweight vehicle hurdles into the future. Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, 28-Oct-2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/multi-material-lightweight-vehicle-hurdles-future. Accessed 15 Nov 2018

  17. Korzeniewski J. 2015 Ford F-150 brings big aluminum to the Rust Belt. Autoblog. 13-Jun-2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/13/2015-ford-f-150-detroit-2014/. Accessed 15 Nov 2018

  18. Kirchain Jr RE, Gregory JR, Olivetti EA (2017) Environmental life-cycle assessment. Nat Mater 16(7):693

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Sullivan JL, Hu J (1995) Life cycle energy analysis for automobiles. SAE technical paper, 951829

    Google Scholar 

  20. Stodolsky F, Vyas A, Cuenca R, Gaines L (1995) Life-cycle energy savings potential from aluminum-intensive vehicles. SAE Technical Paper

    Google Scholar 

  21. EPA and NHTSA (2010) Light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards and corporate average fuel economy standards; final rule. Fed Regist 40:25323–25728

    Google Scholar 

  22. EPA and NHTSA (2012) 2017 and later model year light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and corporate average fuel economy standards; final rule. Fed Regist 77(199):62623–63200

    Google Scholar 

  23. Kobayashi O (1997) Car life cycle inventory assessment. SAE technical paper, 971199

    Google Scholar 

  24. Schuckert M, Beddies H, Gediga J, Florin H, Eyerer P, Schweimer GW (1997) Life cycle inventories-new experiences to save Environmental loads and costs. SAE technical paper, 971171

    Google Scholar 

  25. Keoleian GA, Spatari S, Beal RT, Stephens RD, Williams RL (1998) Application of life cycle inventory analysis to fuel tank system design. Int J Life Cycle Assess 3(1):18–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Das S (2000) The life-cycle impacts of aluminum body-in-white automotive material. JOM 52(8):41–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Schmidt W-P et al (2004) Life cycle assessment of lightweight and end-of-life scenarios for generic compact class passenger vehicles. Int J Life Cycle Assess 9(6):405–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Cheah LW (2010) Cars on a diet: the material and energy impacts of passenger vehicle weight reduction in the US. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kim H-J, McMillan C, Keoleian GA, Skerlos SJ (2010) Greenhouse gas emissions payback for lightweighted vehicles using aluminum and high-strength steel. J Ind Ecol 14(6):929–946

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Koffler C, Rohde-Brandenburger K (2010) On the calculation of fuel savings through lightweight design in automotive life cycle assessments. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15(1):128–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Modaresi R, Pauliuk S, Løvik AN, Müller DB (2014) Global carbon benefits of material substitution in passenger cars until 2050 and the impact on the steel and aluminum industries. Environ Sci Technol 48(18):10776–10784

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Kelly JC, Sullivan JL, Burnham A, Elgowainy A (2015) Impacts of vehicle weight reduction via material substitution on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. Environ Sci Technol 49(20):12535–12542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Luk JM, Saville BA, MacLean HL (2016) Vehicle attribute trade-offs to meet the 2025 CAFE fuel economy target. Transp Res Part D: Transp Environ 49:154–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Lewis AM, Kelly JC, Keoleian GA (2012) Evaluating the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from a lightweight plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in a regional context. In: Sustainable systems and technology (ISSST), 2012 IEEE international symposium on, pp 1–6

    Google Scholar 

  35. Kim HC, Wallington TJ (2013) Life cycle assessment of vehicle lightweighting: a physics-based model of mass-induced fuel consumption. Environ Sci Technol 47(24):14358–14366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. WorldAutoSteel (2011) FutureSteelVehicle overview report. WorldAutoSteel

    Google Scholar 

  37. Luk JM, Kim HC, De Kleine RD, Wallington TJ, MacLean HL (2018) Greenhouse gas emission benefits of vehicle lightweighting: Monte Carlo probabilistic analysis of the multi material lightweight vehicle glider. Transp Res Part D: Transp Environ 62:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Reynolds C, Kandlikar M (2007) How hybrid-electric vehicles are different from conventional vehicles: the effect of weight and power on fuel consumption. Environ Res Lett 2(1):014003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Lewis AM, Kelly JC, Keoleian GA (2014) Vehicle lightweighting vs. electrification: life cycle energy and GHG emissions results for diverse powertrain vehicles. Appl Energy 126:13–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Lewis AM, Keoleian G, Kelly J (2014) The potential of lightweight materials and advanced combustion engines to reduce life cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions. SAE technical paper

    Google Scholar 

  41. Luk JM, Kim HC, De Kleine R, Wallington TJ, MacLean HL (2017) Impact of powertrain type on potential life cycle greenhouse gas emission reductions from a real world lightweight glider. SAE technical paper

    Google Scholar 

  42. Bushi L, Skszek T, Wagner D (2015) MMLV: life cycle assessment. SAE technical paper

    Google Scholar 

  43. Bushi L (2018) EDAG Silverado body Lightweighting final LCA report. Aluminum Association

    Google Scholar 

  44. US EPA (2018) Light-duty automotive technology, carbon dioxide emissions, and fuel economy trends: 1975 Through 2017. EPA-420-R-18-001

    Google Scholar 

  45. Keoleian GA, Sullivan JL (2012) Materials challenges and opportunities for enhancing the sustainability of automobiles. MRS Bull 37(04):365–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Luk JM, Kim HC, De Kleine R, Wallington TJ, MacLean HL (2017) Review of the fuel saving, life cycle GHG emission, and ownership cost impacts of lightweighting vehicles with different powertrains. Environ Sci Technol 51(15):8215–8228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Kim HC, Wallington TJ, Sullivan JL, Keoleian GA (2015) Life cycle assessment of vehicle lightweighting: novel mathematical methods to estimate use-phase fuel consumption. Environ Sci Technol 49(16):10209–10216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Argonne National Laboratory. Argonne GREET vehicle cycle model (2018 version). 10-Oct-2018. [Online]. Available: https://greet.es.anl.gov/greet_2_series. Accessed 09 Nov 2018

  49. WorldAutoSteel representative, “Personal discussion,” 13-Jun-2014

    Google Scholar 

  50. Geyer R, (2014) UCSB automotive materials GHG comparison model. https://www.worldautosteel.org/downloads/ucsb-model-5/

  51. Sperle J-O, Hallberg L, Larsson J, Groth H, Östman K, Larsson J (2013) The environmental value of high strength steel structures. Steel Eco-Cycle

    Google Scholar 

  52. Frischknecht R (2010) LCI modelling approaches applied on recycling of materials in view of environmental sustainability, risk perception and eco-efficiency. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15(7):666–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Kim HC, Wallington TJ (2013) Life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission benefits of lightweighting in automobiles: review and harmonization. Environ Sci Technol 47(12):6089–6097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. U.S. Department of Energy (2013) Light-duty vehicles technical requirements and gaps for lightweight and propulsion materials. U.S. Department of Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office, Workshop Report

    Google Scholar 

  55. Malen DE (2011) Fundamentals of automobile body structure design. SAE International, Warrendale

    Book  Google Scholar 

  56. Geyer R (2008) Parametric assessment of climate change impacts of automotive material substitution. Environ Sci Technol 42(18):6973–6979

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Elgowainy A, Jeongwoo H, Jacob W, Fred J, David G, Alicia L, Todd R, et al. (2016) Cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis of US light duty vehicle-fuel pathways: a greenhouse gas emissions and economic assessment of current (2015) and future (2025–2030) technologies. Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Vehicle Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jarod C. Kelly .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Kelly, J.C., Dai, Q. (2021). Life-Cycle Analysis of Vehicle Lightweighting: A Review. In: Elgowainy, A. (eds) Electric, Hybrid, and Fuel Cell Vehicles. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1492-1_1080

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics