A new study co-authored by Innovhub has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, analyzing the environmental impacts of a partially renewable blend used in bi-fuel passenger cars. The blend consists of a mixture of LPG (60% w/w), bio-LPG (20% w/w), and renewable DME (20% w/w).
Life cycle assessment of a partially renewable blend for bi-fuel passenger cars and comparison with petrol and battery electric cars
The study applies the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to compare the environmental impacts of three types of passenger vehicles (segments B and C): one powered by petrol, one by a mixture of LPG, bio-LPG, and renewable DME, and one battery electric vehicle (BEV). Results show that using this blend can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the full cradle-to-grave life cycle (including the vehicle and road life cycles) by 16% to 21% compared to petrol-powered vehicles. The blend also outperforms petrol in 5 out of 16 impact categories, and battery electric vehicles in 10 out of 16 impact categories.
The study also examined the use of renewable resources derived from waste, such as used cooking oils and organic waste, supporting the transition toward a circular economy. Although bi-fuel vehicles using the blend show advantages in reducing GHG emissions, they also present trade-offs, particularly in water consumption and some eutrophication-related impacts.
Moreover, the results suggest that while electric vehicles offer benefits in certain categories—such as Climate Change, with an impact reduction of 36% to 38% compared to petrol—they perform less favorably in others, such as eutrophication and natural resource consumption.
For more information on the study and the analyses conducted, read the full article here.
Authors:
Stefano Puricelli, Michelle Eid, Giovanni Dolci, Lucia Rigamonti, Mario Grosso (Politecnico di Milano)
Simone Casadei, Simone Lixi (Innovhub SSI)
Anne van den Oever (VUB, Belgium)
The full article is available in the Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 505, May 10, 2025.
For more information: simone.casadei@mi.camcom.it