Life Cycle Assessment of Road Vehicles

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology that supports decision making by quantifying the environmental impacts of products, processes or activities. Because of its holistic approach in the description of interactions, LCA is adequate for evaluating the sustainable character of different aspects of the road transport sector. This chapter provides an overview of LCA, its component stages and its application to road vehicles. Special emphasis is given to the processes and types of data that should be taken into consideration when describing the life cycle of vehicles. Finally, a discussion about the suitability of LCA as a complementary tool for addressing current policy issues, especially those related to air pollution, is provided.