Multi-criteria analysis of passenger vehicles based on technical, economic, and environmental indicators

Many advanced vehicle and fuel technologies are currently being developed with the aim of reducing the environmental impacts of road transport and its dependence on fossil oil. In this paper we present a new methodology to compare a broad range of current and future passenger vehicle options in terms of technical, economic, and environmental criteria. Due to the spectrum of consumer preferences, usage profiles, and the high significance for cost and environmental impacts we consider not only various conventional and electric drivetrains but also different vehicle classes, energy sources, and driving patterns. A high level of integration between technical assessment, powertrain simulation, and life cycle assessment ensures a consistent development of future scenarios and comparison of the different technologies. Selected results for vehicle weight, cost, and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions are presented. Overall the results show that the sustainability implications of electric vehicles are very dependent on the primary energy source that is used and that there is no technology which performs best for all criteria, but that different technologies tailored for specific usage patterns can provide advantages relative to each other. The full set of results can be accessed within a graphical user interface for more detailed analysis. The work presented is currently in further development and is planned to be available for online multi-criteria decision analysis.