The Development of an Environmental Rating Tool for Application in Policy measures

Several Well-to-Wheel and LCA analyses of vehicles and fuels have been developed over the past years. In this paper a transparent and univocal methodology is presented, allowing to compare the environmental impact of battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles with diesel, petrol, bio-fuels, LPG and CNG vehicles. Three impact categories (global warming, air quality and noise pollution) are considered and combined into a single indicator. Not only passenger vehicles can be assessed, but also a model for ‘Heavy Duty’ and ‘Two-wheelers’ has been elaborated. The methodology will be used by the Flemish government to deploy policies to stimulate clean vehicle technologies. Several ratings will be discussed and a sensitivity analysis will clearly demonstrate the robustness of the environmental rating tool.