Converting a Conventional Car into a Hybrid Solar Vehicle: a LCA Approach

The growth of world energy consumption and the increase of passenger vehicles areis setting new challenges to environmental protection. Large diffusion of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles seems to be the most feasible solution. However, the need of fast charging infrastructure, the still low penetration of renewable electricity production and the massive reconversion of fleets limit the feasibility of this solution. A life-cycle assessment study of several mobility options is presented in the paper. The analyses, performed by the use of the GREET model software, show that a suitable solution to reduction of total energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions in the short to medium term could be the conversion of conventional vehicles into hybrid solar vehicles, as in the system developed at the University of Salerno.