Anders Nordelöf, PhD candidate at Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers recently defended his thesis “Using life cycle assessment to support the development of electrified road vehicles”. Anders is also active in the Swedish Life Cycle Center’s network as a member in the working group LCA and vehicles. Following the debate about electric road vehicles in Sweden this is a very actual topic. We asked Anders 3 quick questions about his thesis.

If you would give one advice to government authorities in order to strengthen the development of electric road vehicles, what would it be?

“Look upon LCA (life cycle assessment) as a method to identify problems which can be solved over time, and not as a tool which gives absolute and eternally valid answers.”

How do you want users of LCA in the road vehicle industry to use your research results?

 “I hope to raise long term environmental awareness; electrification of road vehicles combined with renewable electricity production can play an important role in mitigating climate change. But it entails a problem shift from airborne emissions to resource related impacts. However, if these issues are addressed now, future environmental impact can be avoided.”

What was the most surprising finding from your work with the doctoral thesis?

“That rare-earth based magnets are not among the parts contributing most to the environmental impact of electric traction motors.”

Read the thesis here