Life Cycle Assessment of PEMFC System for Fuel Cell Vehicles Based on the GREET Model

2025-01-7086

01/31/2025

Features
Event
SAE 2024 Vehicle Powertrain Diversification Technology Forum
Authors Abstract
Content
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are seen as an ideal solution to the issues of energy security and environmental pollution. There is a great need for a comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts associated with fuel cells throughout their entire life cycle, from fuel extraction through manufacturing, operation, and ultimately to the disposal stage. This paper reviews the progress of research on measuring the emissions of hydrogen fuel cells and focuses on the carbon footprint throughout the fuel cell’s life cycle. The study defines the boundary conditions of the fuel cell system using the PLAC (Process-based life cycle assessment) method, analyzes the proportion of each material in the system, and divides its life cycle into six stages: raw material preparation, manufacturing and assembly, transportation and logistics, utilization, maintenance and repair, and scrap and recycling. This study uses the GREET analysis software to introduce a carbon footprint analysis model for a fuel cell system. It then calculates pollutant emissions per kilometer by integrating the fuel cell system into a light fuel cell vehicle. The carbon footprints at each stage are calculated assuming the end of the fuel cell system’s life is set at 150000 km, and the study finds that the production and assembly stages of raw materials are the primary sources of carbon footprints during the fuel cell’s life cycle. In addition, the PLCA method and carbon footprint analysis model can analyze the carbon footprints and pollutants from each system of fuel cell vehicles. Therefore, it is imperative to discuss the construction of a carbon footprint model suitable for the life cycle of fuel cell production, quantify carbon footprints in each link, and propose targeted carbon reduction measures, which have far-reaching significance for fuel cell vehicles’ carbon footprint reduction management.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/2025-01-7086
Pages
6
Citation
Zhang, R., Zhu, H., Zhou, X., and Pan, X., "Life Cycle Assessment of PEMFC System for Fuel Cell Vehicles Based on the GREET Model," SAE Technical Paper 2025-01-7086, 2025, https://doi.org/10.4271/2025-01-7086.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Jan 31
Product Code
2025-01-7086
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English