Browsing by Subject "Elinkaarikustannus"

There are many potential ways to reduce CO2 emissions in road freight transportation, of which the utilisation of electrification offers several interesting opportunities. The study analyses the relative cost-competitiveness of battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles and vehicles utilizing electric road system (ERS) to the traditional diesel-powered fleet through the TCO framework. The framework is extended to the cost-effectiveness analysis to consider the external effects regarding vehicle´s life-cycle emissions, and thus the unit cost of the emission reduction achieved through the electrification can be determined. The concrete effects of the electrification of Finnish domestic heavy-duty freight are roughly studied through three arterial roads located in Southern Finland: Helsinki–Turku, Helsinki–Lahti and Helsinki–Tampere. The study utilises existing public research and statistical data on the subject areas. Although the operating costs of the electric trucks are lower than the diesel trucks, only the overhead catenary ERS vehicle in the heaviest 60-ton weight class is less expensive than the equivalent diesel-powered truck in terms of the total cost of ownership. The costs of the battery packs and the catenary line connection in ERS vehicles significantly increases the purchase cost of the electric trucks. Based on the analysis, the emission reduction of 66–79 percent can be achieved with battery-electric trucks and 81–89 percent reduction with ERS-powered vehicles compared to the corresponding diesel-powered vehicles. Although the TCO of ERS vehicles is lower and the achievable emission reduction potential is higher than in the battery-electric vehicles studied, the investment cost of the ERS infrastructure increases the total costs so substantially that the utilisation of battery-electric technology is less expensive option from the society´s point of view. The less expensive life-cycle emission reductions are achieved with the heaviest battery-electric vehicles studied, which according to the analysis, could be achieved with a cost of 139–150 EUR/tCO2. The emission reduction cost of a battery-electric truck without a trailer would be 650 EUR/tCO2. Assuming that it is possible to fully electrify the heavy-duty freight which utilises the studied arterial roads, the total increase in life-cycle costs is approximately EUR 0.7–2.1 billion for battery-electric trucks and EUR 1.5–2.3 billion for ERS trucks. The annual emission reduction potential by replacing fossil fuels with electric vehicles is approximately 0.3–0.5 Mt CO2-eq., which is circa 9–15 percent of the annual emissions of all heavy road freight in Finland. Although the analysis is carefully conducted, it would be fair to say, that significant uncertainties are associated with the background assumptions and data. Already the wide spectrum of the vehicle usage and operating environment can have a major impact to the vehicle characteristics, and thus the results. Further research would also be needed to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine to the component availability, purchase prices, and changes in fuel and electricity costs. Also, the applicability of electric technology in commercial heavy-duty transportation requires further research.