Citation:
Mark Jolly and Konstantinos Salonitis. Primary manufacturing, engine production and on-the-road CO2: how can the automotive industry best contribute to environmental sustainability. 38th International Vienna Motor Symposium, 27-28 April 2017, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
Legislation in the automotive industry currently focusses on tailpipe CO2 emissions, with no
consideration for the CO2 footprint of the materials used in the manufacture of vehicles. This has
led OEMs to adopt lower density materials, to contribute to weight reduction and fuel economy, in
the expectation that the weight reduction will provide a net CO2 benefit to society.
This paper will present the results of a full assessment of the energy and CO2 impact during the
manufacture of diesel and petrol engine blocks. The research is based on inputs from over 100
world experts from across the automotive supply chain, including raw material mining and smelting
companies, alloy recyclers, iron and aluminium foundries, OEM engineers, independent
manufacturing specialists, design consultants, heat treaters and impregnators. Despite current
perceived wisdom, the use of lower density materials frequently results in net energy and CO2
penalties, when considering the complete life cycle of manufacture and use. For the 1.6 litre
engine block investigated in this study, more than 200,000 km of on-the-road driving is required to
compensate for the up-front energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with the
production of aluminium engine blocks. The paper also comments on other environmental impacts
from the iron and aluminium manufacturing routes. These results provide new insights for OEM
decision-makers, and a new perspective for legislators to define regulations that truly contribute to
the environment and to society.