Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle with Different Powertrain Configurations in Europe

Plug in hybrid electric vehicles play an important role in transportation decarbonization. Compared with battery electric vehicles, plug in hybrid electric vehicles generally have a lower production carbon footprint due to their smaller batteries, which require far less raw material. Despite their smaller capacity, these batteries are typically sufficient to cover most daily travel distances in pure electric mode. The hybrid powertrain can be configured in multiple ways depending on the number and position of electric machines within the driveline. These configuration differences significantly influence both the total carbon footprint and the use phase greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, we evaluate the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with various powertrain configurations in the European context. All configurations share the same premium mid-size sport utility vehicle glider. Battery capacity ranges from 20 kWh to 45 kWh, enabling an electric range of over 200 km under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle. The number of electric machines varies from one, as in the P2 configuration, to three, as in the P1+P3+P4 configuration. Use phase emissions for each configuration were estimated in accordance with the latest European Union emission legislation. The P2 powertrain exhibited the lowest weighted fuel and electricity consumption, whereas the P1+P3+P4 layout demonstrated the highest overall electric and fuel consumption. A sensitivity analysis of use phase emissions was performed, followed by projections for scenarios with increased renewable energy shares in both electricity generation and liquid fuel production. Finally, an extreme scenario assuming 100 % renewable electricity and fuel was analyzed.