Abstract:

A life-cycle carbon emission assessment model was developed for mini-electric vehicles in the Chinese context to answer how much carbon reduction would be achieved by mini-electric vehicles in China's context. The research used the GREET (the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation) model, which including: the cradle-to-gate (CTG), the energy cycle (or well-to-wheel, WTW), and the gate-to-cradle (GTC), based on a typical travel data of 1 030 vehicle·days from mini-electric vehicles. The results show that the mini-electric vehicles' average daily travel distance is 37.2 km, and the daily travel mileage of 73.1% days are less than 50.0 km. With average grid conditions in 2021, the life-cycle carbon emissions (CO₂ equivalent) of mini-electric vehicles are 26.8 t per vehicle with the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) driving cycle, which is about 33% lower than that of internal combustion engine vehicles in the same class. The WTW carbon emission (CO₂ equivalent) of a mini-electric vehicle is 19.3 t, accounting for 72% of life-cycle emissions. The improvement of power-grid cleanliness and the increase in the power-battery recycling rate of will help to further reduce the carbon emission by pure electric mini vehicles.

Key words: mini-electric vehicles, life-cycle carbon emission, travel pattern, GREET model, cradle-to-gate (CTG), well-to-wheel (WTW), grave-to-cradle (GTC)