Researchers at Ford and the University of Michigan conducted a new study that assessed the greenhouse gas savings of electric pickups compared to gasoline-powered pickups. He also estimated the reduction in other passenger cars compared to their gas-powered counterparts.
According to the study, battery-powered sedans, SUVs and pickup trucks have about 64% lower greenhouse gas emissions than the same vehicles with internal combustion engines. On average, replacing a traditional gas engine with an electric powertrain can save up to 74 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the life of a vehicle, the study found.
Automakers are using electrification as a key strategy to combat rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Ford says light-duty vehicles, including sedans, SUVs and pickup trucks, are currently responsible for 58 percent of the United States’ transportation sector emissions. Pickup trucks made up 14 percent of U.S. passenger car sales in 2020, with SUV and pickup truck sales having increased since this data was released, meaning more emissions are being emitted each year.
Ford is one of the most committed car companies in terms of the transition to electrification. First hitting the market for Ford, the Mustang Mach-E has quickly become one of the best-selling electric vehicles in the US. It was second only to the Tesla Model Y in the all-electric crossover sector last year. The F-150 Lightning, an electrified variant of Ford’s popular pickup truck series, is due to begin deliveries this spring. In addition, Ford began delivering E-Transit to meet commercial needs, including one order for 1,110 units for Wal-Mart.
Ford begins deliveries of the all-electric E-Transit with over 10,000 units built.
The study provided more evidence that switching to electric powertrains is more sustainable than gasoline options, especially from the first to the last mile of a car.
“This is an important study to inform and encourage action on climate change. Our study clearly shows the significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that can be achieved by switching to electrified powertrains for all classes of vehicles,” said Greg Keoleyan, professor at the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability. Keoleyan was the senior author of the study.
Study
The researchers conducted a cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessment of pickup trucks and compared it to assessments of electrified versions of pickups, sedans and SUVs. The study used three different powertrain options for the 2020 model year, including combustion engine vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles. The study looked at mid-size sedans, mid-size SUVs, and full-size pickup trucks for differences in fuel economy, annual mileage, vehicle production, and vehicle life span across vehicle classes.
“This study expands on previous studies that have focused on comparing battery-electric sedans to their internal combustion engine or hybrid vehicle counterparts,” Keoleyan added. “We report emissions at the manufacturing, use and end-of-life stages of vehicles per mile and over the lifetime of the vehicle. In addition, we analyzed regional differences in emissions, taking into account differences in the composition of the power grid and ambient temperature, and also studied the effect of network decarbonization rate on emission reduction.”
The researchers found that switching to an electric vehicle resulted in a significant reduction in total tonnage emissions as the size of the vehicle increased. This is due to the higher fuel consumption of larger class cars.
CONNECTED:
Ford is once again doubling its production plan for the F-150 Lightning to 150,000 units a year.
“While the percentage savings are about the same across vehicle classes, on average, replacing a combustion engine sedan with a battery electric sedan saves 45 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by replacing a combustion engine SUV with a battery. an electric SUV saves 56 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and replacing a pickup truck with an internal combustion engine with a battery electric pickup saves 74 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over the entire life of vehicles,” Max Woody, specialist at the Center for Research on Sustainable Systems. , said. Woody is listed as the first author of the study.
The researchers also concluded that the production of BEVs has higher emission levels than the production of ICE vehicles. The study says that electric sedans had a break-even time of 1.2 to 1.3 years, SUVs of 1.4 to 1.6 years, and pickups of 1.3 years, based on the average network in the US and car mileage.
Officially published March 1 in Environmental Research Letters, the full study is available here.
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Ford Study Shows Pickup Truck Electrification Significantly Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
