Life cycle assessment of battery electric vehicles and internal combustion vehicles using sugarcane ethanol in Brazil: A critical review

• Published in: Cleaner Energy Systems 2022-07, Vol.2, p.100008, Article 100008
• Main Authors: Lavrador, Rafael Belém, Teles, Beatriz Arioli de Sá
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Battery electric vehicles; Electrification; Ethanol; Internal combustion engine; Life cycle assessment; Transport
• ISSN: 2772-7831; 2772-7831
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cles.2022.100008

•The environmental impacts of using batteries or bioethanol in Brazil are reviewed.•Indirect land use calculations are the main source of divergence between articles.•Parallel fostering of both technologies seems to minimize environmental impacts.•Sugarcane farming exhibits ecological limits but is advantageous at current levels.•Socioeconomic and technological aspects are also relevant for political decisions. Environmental impacts related to light vehicles in Brazil can be reduced by increasing the use of bioethanol or by electrifying the fleet. Life cycle comparisons of the environmental impacts of these routes specifically for the Brazilian scenario (or even for other developing-countries’ scenarios) are scarce in the literature and the few existing studies present highly divergent conclusions, which raises doubts about which technology should be prioritized by policymakers. In this article, the life cycle assessment methodology employed in the literature on this topic was reviewed and the results were critically compared to obtain more robust conclusions. It was evidenced that ethanol usage probably consists of a cleaner option if the land dedicated to sugarcane culture remains approximately at the current level, but battery-powered vehicles become more advantageous if sugarcane farming activity grows too much (although the optimal level could not be determined). In view of the probable augmentation of light vehicles demand, policymakers should foment both technological choices. Additionally, we present a brief review of alternative technological routes, sustainability challenges, and socioeconomic aspects, which are essential from the political standpoint, but are often neglected in the environmental debate. [Display omitted] .