Scania Compares Life Cycle Environmental Impact of Electric and Diesel Distribution Trucks

Swedish truck manufacturer Scania has published its first publicly available life cycle assessment (LCA), comparing the environmental impacts of its battery electric vehicles (BEV) against corresponding diesel-powered distribution trucks (ICEV).

The study assesses the entire lifecycle of the vehicles, from raw material extraction to recovery. The functional unit is defined as 500,000 km driven in distribution cycles with an average payload of 6.1 tons. Scania utilizes LCA for internal product development targets and aims to inform stakeholders with these external findings.

The production phase of BEV vehicles incurs significantly higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (53.6 tonnes CO2eq) compared to ICEV vehicles (27.5 tonnes CO2eq), primarily due to the energy-intensive manufacturing of battery cells. However, depending on the carbon intensity of the electricity grid, the total life cycle GHG emissions for BEVs are 38-63% lower than their diesel counterparts.

BEV vehicles accumulate a "carbon debt" from production phase emissions, which is typically repaid between 33,000 km and 68,000 km of operation, depending on the electricity mix used. When powered by green electricity, the life cycle GHG reduction potential can reach 86%.

The LCA report also indicates dramatic reductions in other environmental impact categories, such as fine particle formation and acidification, due to the elimination of tailpipe emissions. The assessment excludes battery second life and recycling, meaning the full production burden is attributed to the vehicle's life cycle.