Brussels, 22 February 2010 – WorldAutoSteel announces today its participation in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative, as a Gold Sponsor in partnership with the World Steel Association.  The Life Cycle Initiative was launched to respond to the call by governments around the world for a life cycle economy.  Through its involvement in the Life Cycle Initiative, WorldAutoSteel hopes to advance life cycle thinking with policymakers and customers around the globe. 

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Updated model evaluates the total vehicle life cycle impact of materials, powertrains, fuels and their sources, total energy consumed

Brussels, 4 August 2009 – WorldAutoSteel has released a 2nd iteration of the automotive materials parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model, which allows for broader evaluations of automotive materials, powertrains, fuels and vehicle total energy consumed.  Automakers can now evaluate more comprehensively material selections decisions and their affect on green house gas emissions, with additional options for materials, emerging powertrains and fuel sources.  The Phase 2 model was developed under the leadership of Dr. Roland Geyer of the University of California’s Bren School for Environmental Science.

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The World Steel Association (worldsteel) has released its 2010 global steel life cycle inventory (LCI). The datasets provide the most accurate and comprehensive data on the environmental profile of 16 key products, representative of the spectrum of steel production.

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See carlist.com Interview with Bill Reinert. National Manager, Advanced Technology Group, Toyota Motor Sales USA at aobut Toyota’s life cycle assessment programme and their well-to-wheel evaluations of fuel cell vehicles and hybrids.

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Understanding Life Cycle Assessment
When many people think about automotive greenhouse gases (GHGs), they tend to focus solely on tailpipe emissions, or what vehicles emit during their driving or use phase. But for a complete understanding of how a material affects the environment—from its initial production, use and end-of-life disposal or recyclability phases—many scientists are adopting a Life Cycle Assessment, or LCA, method. To view a brief animated presentation on how LCA works click here.
A life cycle inventory (LCI) study was conducted on the ULSAB-AVC PNGV-class vehicle to evaluate resource and energy consumptions, emissions and vehicle functions. This study considered the entire life cycle from cradle to grave, including manufacturing, operation and maintenance (use) and disposition.

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