Online Event organised by SUTD | 9 June 2021 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
ABSTRACT
Carbon-friendly alternatives to conventional diesel medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks offer promising solutions to decarbonizing the challenging road freight sector. However, the life cycle impacts of alternative fuels and powertrains are context-specific and may not decarbonize road freight. This talk demonstrates the importance of a life cycle perspective when assessing the environmental performance of proposed alternatives with a case study of medium-duty urban delivery trucks in Singapore. The life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from conventional diesel, diesel hybrid, battery electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell (FCV) powertrains are compared, including emissions from vehicle and fuel production, use phase and end-of-life stages. Details of the data and methods are presented for adapting the assessment to the local context, taking into account Singapore’s energy supply landscape and local driving activity. Overall, fuel production and component manufacturing and replacement uncertainties remain key factors in the relative advantages of BEVs and FCVs, highlighting the need for context-specific assessments that keep pace with technological development.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lih Wei Yeow is a Senior Research Engineer in the Sustainable Urban Mobility Lab at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). His research interests are in transportation and its environmental impacts, and sustainable urban systems. His current work focuses on the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of alternative powertrains for commercial trucks in Singapore. He has also completed work in the field of urban metabolism, analysing construction material flows in Singapore. Lih Wei received his Master of Engineering (Research) and Bachelor of Engineering from the Engineering Systems and Design pillar at SUTD, completing a master’s thesis on the real-world fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of commercial road vehicles in Singapore.
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