The life cycle assessment of heavy-duty vehicles and buses.

The life cycle assessment shows the climate compatibility of various technology and fuel options in four use cases in the vehicle categories Heavy commercial vehicle and bus. For this purpose, greenhouse gas emissions and energy expenditure were compared. Both upstream and downstream emissions resulting from the production of the vehicle and the energy source were taken into account, as well as direct emissions from driving operations. The analysis of 17 technology and fuel options shows that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are the most climate-friendly when using 100 % electricity from renewable energy sources. Hydrogen drives have similarly low greenhouse gas emissions, but have lower energy efficiency. The appropriate configuration of battery capacity, resource-efficient production and recycling help to further improve the life cycle balance of heavy duty vehicles and buses.