IESVic Seminar: Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of alternative fuels and powertrains for medium-duty trucks

Dr. Lynette Cheah

Thursday, May 19
1:00-2:00 pm (PDT)
Hybrid Event
In-person (ECS 660)
Online (Zoom details below)

Alternatives to conventional diesel engines in commercial trucks offer promising solutions to decarbonize road freight. We compare the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from diesel, battery electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell (FCV) medium-duty urban delivery trucks (gross vehicle weight 3.5 – 7 metric tonnes) in Singapore, including the vehicle and fuel production, use phase and end-of-life stages. Use phase energy demand was estimated by simulating energy consumption on local real-world driving cycles. BEVs powered by the 2019 electricity mix had up to 11% lower GHG emissions than conventional diesel, but doubling battery capacity to meet travel range requirements resulted in up to 12% higher emissions. FCVs using gaseous hydrogen via steam methane reforming achieved 23 – 30% GHG reductions while satisfying range requirements. Efforts in obtaining updated and reliable data on vehicle production remain critical for assessments of emerging technologies and enacting evidence-based policies to decarbonize road freight.

Dr. Lynette Cheah is an Associate Professor of Engineering Systems at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and a Visiting Professor at the Civil Engineering department at the University of Victoria. She directs the Sustainable Urban Mobility research laboratory, which develops data-driven models and tools to reduce the environmental impacts of passenger and urban freight transport. She is currently Associate Editor for the Journal of Industrial Ecology and Review Editor for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report. She is also a member of Singapore’s Public Transport Council. She received her Ph.D. in Engineering Systems from MIT and master’s in management science from Stanford University.

**Zoom meeting link**