Green Mobility in Texas: Comparative Environmental Impacts and Lifecycle Cost Analysis of Hybrid, Electric, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

Compared to gasoline/diesel cars and battery electric cars (BECs), hydrogen fuel cell cars (HFCCs) are relatively new. Two main advantages of HFCCs over electric vehicles are no special requirements for heavy battery and long charging time. There is no HFCC in Texas; thus, exploring the use of electricity or hydrogen produced from renewable energies for personal cars and mitigating vehicle emissions is critical for sustaining a long-term decarburization strategy for megacities like Houston and Dallas under different energy scenarios. The proposed project would address this critical gap and develop environmental impacts and cost assessments for hybrid cars, BECs, and HFCCs in Texas under several possible energy scenarios from now to 2040 using some tools of lifecycle assessment (LCA) and lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA). The carbon footprint of BECs and HFCCs will be determined with respect to the transport, logistics, and supply chain sectors. A new lifecycle cost model for BECs and HFCCs will be designed with the consideration of some uncertainties of renewable resources and vehicle demands. Faculty working on this research will integrate LCA as an important focus area for all senior and graduate-level civil and environmental engineering courses. These students will also be introduced to the techniques of well-to-wheel analysis and production cost evaluation for renewable energy-powered vehicles.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 22ITSPVAMU55

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $40000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747106

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Project Managers:

  Mousa, Momen

• Performing Organizations:

  Prairie View A&M University

  Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
  P.O. Box 519
  Prairie View, TX  United States  77446
• Principal Investigators:

  Kommalapati, Raghava

• Start Date: 20220401
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric automobiles; Environmental impacts; Fuel cell vehicles; Hydrogen fuels; Life cycle analysis; Renewable energy sources
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01844943
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 9 2022 5:57AM