Updated model evaluates the total vehicle life cycle impact of materials, powertrains, fuels and their sources, total energy consumed

Brussels, 4 August 2009 – WorldAutoSteel has released a 2nd iteration of the automotive materials parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model, which allows for broader evaluations of automotive materials, powertrains, fuels and vehicle total energy consumed.  Automakers can now evaluate more comprehensively material selections decisions and their affect on green house gas emissions, with additional options for materials, emerging powertrains and fuel sources.  The Phase 2 model was developed under the leadership of Dr. Roland Geyer of the University of California’s Bren School for Environmental Science.

The LCA approach assists automakers in evaluating and reducing the total energy consumed and the lifetime GHG emissions of their products.

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WorldAutoSteel joins corporations from 17 countries and 20 industry sectors in a road test of a new global framework for green house gas emissions (GHG) measurement.  The road test is part of the GHG Protocol Initiative convened by the World Resource Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), whose mission is to develop internationally accepted GHG accounting and reporting standards and promote their use worldwide.  WorldAutoSteel announced today its participation in the road test for one of two new standards developed through the GHG Protocol Initiative: the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard.  This standard provides guidance for the preparation of a GHG emissions inventory for a given product. 

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The objective of this study is to benchmark, in terms of their life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, vehicle body-in-white designs based on advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), like ULSAB-AVC, as well as aluminium, compared to designs based on mild steel. This article provides an executive summary of the report, and the parametric model in an Excel worksheet for download and use and the study's methodology report.

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Understanding Life Cycle Assessment
When many people think about automotive greenhouse gases (GHGs), they tend to focus solely on tailpipe emissions, or what vehicles emit during their driving or use phase. But for a complete understanding of how a material affects the environment—from its initial production, use and end-of-life disposal or recyclability phases—many scientists are adopting a Life Cycle Assessment, or LCA, method. To view a brief animated presentation on how LCA works click here.