Environmental and economic analysis of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for heavy goods vehicles in the UK: A Well-to-Wheel and total cost of ownership evaluation
File(s)LNG for HGVs - spiral version.pdf (1.04 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Langshaw, Liam
Ainalis, Daniel
Acha Izquierdo, Salvador
Shah, Nilay
Stettler, Marc
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This paper evaluates the environmental and economic performance of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transition fuel to replace diesel in heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). A Well-to-Wheel (WTW) assessment based on real-world HGV drive cycles is performed to determine the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with LNG relative to diesel. The analysis is complemented with a probabilistic approach to determine the total cost of ownership (TCO) across a range of scenarios. The methodologies are validated via a case study of vehicles operating in the UK, using data provided by a large food retailer. The spark-ignited LNG vehicles under study were observed to be 18% less energy efficient than their diesel counterparts, leading to a 7% increase in WTW GHG emissions. However, a reduction of up to 13% is feasible if LNG vehicles reach parity efficiency with diesel. Refuelling at publicly available stations enabled a 7% TCO saving in the nominal case, while development of private infrastructure incurred net costs. The findings of this study highlight that GHG emission reductions from LNG HGVs will only be realised if there are vehicle efficiency improvements, while the financial case for operators is positive only if a publicly accessible refuelling network is available.
Date Issued
2020-02
Date Acceptance
2019-11-30
Citation
Energy Policy, 2020, 137, pp.1-15
ISSN
0301-4215
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
15
Journal / Book Title
Energy Policy
Volume
137
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd
Innovate UK
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519307475?via%3Dihub
Grant Number
CEPSE_P57236
103253
Subjects
Social Sciences
Science & Technology
Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Economics
Energy & Fuels
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Studies
Business & Economics
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Alternative fuels
Greenhouse gas emissions
Heavy goods vehicles
Liquefied natural gas
Total cost of ownership
GREENHOUSE-GAS
EMISSIONS
FUEL
Energy
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 111161
Date Publish Online
2019-12-12