Our project partner Aristotle University of Thessaloniki presented the ESCALATE project at the CO2 Reduction for Transportation Systems Conference from 12-13 June 2024 in Turino (IT) as part of a keynote presentation in front of more than 100 international participants.
In his presentation ‘life cycle analysis: a level playing field for road transport environmental regulations’, Professor Zisis Samaras shared recent ESCALATE research by explaining the methodological approach of the project concerning the life cycle assessment (LCA) of zHDVs. Furthermore, Prof. Samaras shared the importance of vehicle LCA in EU environmental regulations for road transport.
Life cycle assessment is acknowledged by European policy makers and considered in vehicle legislation to better reflect the environmental impact of passenger cars, vans and new heavy-duty vehicles. EU decision-makers are currently discussing whether new HDVs require a full LCA to be approved to enter the market.
Thus, new LCA methods which are developed by the ESCALATE project help to provide a more detailed image of the environmental impact of energy production, charging and refilling losses, maintenance and the actual activity of the truck in different traffic and climate environments.
Samaras explained the ESCALATE methodology, which is based on vehicle simulations, enriched with real-world data from cross-border pilot routes in different ambient conditions. The gathered data will lead to detailed conclusions concerning the tank-to-wheel consumption and the rate of battery degradation over the pilot period.