The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have recognized that use of life cycle assessment (LCA) should play an important role in current emissions regulation discussions and have accordingly issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for fuel economy and emissions for passenger cars and light trucks.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, WorldAutoSteel, the automotive group of the World Steel Association (worldsteel), is calling for a shift from tailpipe emissions to LCA regarding vehicle emissions regulations.
"When vehicle emissions assessment is focused solely on emissions produced during the driving phase (tailpipe), this encourages the use of greenhouse gas-intensive manufacturing phase technologies, such as low density materials, in an effort to reduce fuel consumption," Cees ten Broek, director of WorldAutoSteel, said.
WorldAutoSteel pointed out that, while the US is examining fuel economy and emissions requirements for 2017-2025, the EU is preparing the mid-term review of EU emission standards for new cars, expected by the end of 2012.