Circular Economy, Life-cycle assessment, Electrification and Car Transactions (CELECT)

Research Project, 2023 – 2027

Norway is the world leader in the energy transition ofroad transport, with a 65 percent market share ofbattery electric vehicles (BEVs) among new passenger cars in 2021. It is widely agreed that a transition to BEVs plays a key role in reducing CO2 emissions from road transport. Still, there is a lack ofknowledge on how to achieve an efficient, sustainable, and acceptable transformation of the car fleet, taking into account environmental impacts of production, use and scrapping of cars as well as social inequalities in car ownership and use.

In CELECT, we will study how the car market works in the era of electrification, with a particular focus on used car transactions and the role of social and geographic inequalities. We will assess the environmental footprint of new and used cars in a circular economy perspective, and develop a circular economy framework to extend the life and reduce the footprint ofBEVs and their batteries. We will combine life cycle assessment and productivity analysis to evaluate optimal utilization of used cars and investigate the e:ffect of current climate policies on the car market and lifetime of existing cars. Finally, we will provide recommendations for policy-makers and businesses that can contribute to more sustainable outcomes.

CELECT is a cross-disciplinary project, combining econometric analysis ofthe car market and climate policies with life cycle assessment of environmental impacts. It will be carried out in close co-operation with key actors in the car industry as well as other major stakeholders. The partners will contribute with data and knowledge about economic and technical parameters that are crucial for evaluating economic and environmental outcomes, collaborate on analysis, and benefit from the new knowledge about sustainable practices and policies that will result from the project. Hence, the project will contribute to environmental sustainability as well as creating new opportunities for value creation.