Rashid and Pagone. Sustainability. 2023; 15: 11027 | Highlighted on Fuelcons
The rising demand for eco-friendly transportation has accelerated the adoption of electrified powertrains. While hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) emit fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs) during usage compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), comprehensive insights into their entire environmental footprint remain limited. In the present study, Rashid and Pagone conducted a cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis (LCA) on a Toyota Prius XW50, both as an HEV and PHEV, using recognized lifecycle inventory databases.
The cradle-to-grave lifecycle was divided into two phases, the fuel cycle, and the vehicle cycle. The study found that the more electrified PHEV model consumes 3.2% more energy and emits 5.6% more GHG emissions within the vehicle’s lifecycle, primarily due to manufacturing and recycling of the larger traction battery. However, when also considering the gasoline fuel cycle, the PHEV showed a 29.6% decrease in life energy consumption and a 17.5% drop in GHG emissions compared to the HEV. Thus, the PHEV demonstrated a reduced environmental impact over its lifecycle.
While this LCA provides a useful reference for future evaluations of similar vehicles, one must consider that the actual impact of PHEVs on GHG mitigation depends on their real-world usage.