Sustainable transportation pathways through vehicle life cycle assessment in Bangladesh

This study compares the environmental impacts of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) powered by petrol and diesel in Bangladesh. It conducts a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of BEVs, PHEVs and ICEVs from a Cradle-to-Grave perspective and a Well-to-Wheel analysis of the fuel system using the ReCiPe 2016 method. The manufacturing of these vehicles is completed outside Bangladesh, and the use-phase and end of life (EoL) phase are completed inside Bangladesh. Manufacturing phase showed BEV or PHEV dominance over ICEVs, with BEVs exhibiting higher global warming potential (GWP) and freshwater eutrophication potential (FRS), whereas PHEV dominated in categories like human toxicity potential (HTP-C), freshwater pollution potential (FPM), and metal resource scarcity (MRS). In the transportation phase, BEV dominance was attributed to its relatively high mass and resulting emissions. However, in the use phase, BEVs have emerged as the most environmentally friendly due to zero tailpipe emissions, making them the most suitable option for Bangladesh's transportation system. In the EoL phase, BEV has exhibited the most potential for reuse, recycling, and treatment due to its higher weight. Overall, BEVs demonstrated the least environmental impact across all categories, indicating their superiority as an environmentally friendly alternative to ICEVs in Bangladesh. However, their large-scale adoption remains challenging due to limited charging infrastructure and high initial costs, requiring infrastructure investment and supportive government policies.