Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations play a crucial role in urban sustainability, supporting the transition to zero-emission transportation. Their widespread presence alleviates "range anxiety"and promotes cleaner energy models. However, the environmental impact of charging station production remains largely unexplored. This research assesses the lifecycle environmental impact of aluminum cabinet production for EV charging stations through detailed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The research examines the interactions between production stages, identifying environmental "hotspots"for improvement. The findings guide innovation toward more sustainable e-mobility infrastructure, ensuring a greener transportation future. The OpenLCA was used in combination with modeling of the process in WITNESS Horizon software. The results show that improvements are needed, particularly in the supply chain processes, as the manufacturing of the single cabinet has the climate impact scenario of 1,287 kg of CO2 eq. In terms of the impacts on human life toxicity and freshwater aquatic pollution, the impacts are 3,870 kg 1,4 DB and 1,316 kg 1,4 DB respectively. However major impact contribution is coming out from the production of raw materials i.e. aluminum, polycarbonate, and energy generation that has been used in cabinet manufacturing, while the overall share of the operations carried out in the industry is low.
ECO-CHARGE: Sustainable Decision Making for EV Charging Station Production
De Felice F.;Petrillo A.
2024-01-01
Abstract
Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations play a crucial role in urban sustainability, supporting the transition to zero-emission transportation. Their widespread presence alleviates "range anxiety"and promotes cleaner energy models. However, the environmental impact of charging station production remains largely unexplored. This research assesses the lifecycle environmental impact of aluminum cabinet production for EV charging stations through detailed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The research examines the interactions between production stages, identifying environmental "hotspots"for improvement. The findings guide innovation toward more sustainable e-mobility infrastructure, ensuring a greener transportation future. The OpenLCA was used in combination with modeling of the process in WITNESS Horizon software. The results show that improvements are needed, particularly in the supply chain processes, as the manufacturing of the single cabinet has the climate impact scenario of 1,287 kg of CO2 eq. In terms of the impacts on human life toxicity and freshwater aquatic pollution, the impacts are 3,870 kg 1,4 DB and 1,316 kg 1,4 DB respectively. However major impact contribution is coming out from the production of raw materials i.e. aluminum, polycarbonate, and energy generation that has been used in cabinet manufacturing, while the overall share of the operations carried out in the industry is low.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
