Greenness evaluation of electric vehicle considering LCA: Meta-path analysis

Abstract

When it comes to the decarbonization for the climate change, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) have emerged to be environmentally friendly compared to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), because they do not directly emit CO2 exhaust gas during operation. However, electricity production for battery charging of an electric vehicle is energy intensive and is not environmentally friendly because it generates carbon dioxide and other harmful substances during the electric vehicle production process. Hybrid vehicles were an intermediate technology before the debut of battery electric vehicles, but the introduction of battery electric vehicles has accelerated due to the competition in the automobile industry. It was difficult to be certain about the eco-friendliness of battery vehicles in a state where technology maturity and infrastructure were lacking. Therefore, it is necessary to verify whether battery electric vehicles are really eco-friendly than other vehicles. In this study, the selected papers were turned into data, that objectively and numerically analyzed whether eco-friendliness of battery electric vehicles were eco-friendly in consideration of the Life cycle assessment (LCA). And the data was verified with statistical analysis methods. Regression analyses were performed on the effect of the life cycle stage on the eco-friendliness of electric vehicles over time, and the items and elements related to the eco-friendliness of electric vehicles were analyzed by applying a structural equation model. As a result, considering the entire life cycle processes at the present time, electric vehicles can be considered to be eco-friendly. In the automobile industry which has undergone rapid change, it will be able to contribute to strategies to respond to climate change and future policy directions.