Applying Life Cycle Analysis

We are applying the knowledge gained through life cycle analysis in real world decisions including in our own product development decisions and in tools that help our customers choose more sustainable products. This section provides some examples of our practical applications of life cycle analysis.

Improving Our Products with Product Sustainability Index

Our Product Sustainability Index (PSI) represents one of our most advanced applications of life cycle analysis in product development decisions. This tool, which has been used in our European product development operations since 2002, helps us to assess and find opportunities to reduce the impacts of our products over their entire life cycle – including environmental impacts such as global warming from greenhouse gas emissions, societal questions such as pedestrian protection and economic issues such as cost of ownership.

Ford’s PSI tracks eight product attributes identified as key sustainability elements of a vehicle: life cycle global warming potential (mainly carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions); life cycle air-quality potential (other air emissions); the use of sustainable materials (recycled and renewable materials); vehicle interior air quality; exterior noise impact (drive-by noise); safety, as measured by the European New Car Assessment Program (including for occupants and also pedestrians); mobility capability (seat and luggage capacity relative to vehicle size); and life cycle ownership costs (full costs for the customer over the first three years).

Since 2002 we have been applying the PSI as a sustainability management tool in the development of all of our major new European vehicles. As a result of using the PSI assessment system, all of these models have shown improvements in environmental, social and/or economic performance when compared with the previous models. The chart below shows specific performance and areas of improvement for each model. The PSI will be used on all future products developed by Ford of Europe. Detailed reports on the PSI analysis for these vehicles can be downloaded from Ford of Europe’s website.

PSI Assessed Model Performance

Both Ford’s own internal assessments and external assessments have found the PSI to be an effective life cycle assessment and design tool. An external study, conducted by experts in life cycle science and sustainability, found the PSI to be a design and analysis step that provides a full sustainability assessment and meets the requirements of ISO 14040, the international life cycle assessment standard. The PSI assessments of the 2006 S‑MAX and Galaxy vehicles were certified against the ISO rules for life cycle assessment. This certification process also verified the overall PSI methodology used for all subsequent PSI-developed models.

Comparing Material Choices with Life Cycle Analysis

We also use life cycle analysis to help us assess the environmental and cost impacts of different vehicle material choices. For example, we evaluated the relative benefits of using soy-based foam compared with traditional petroleum-based foams and found a net decrease of 5.5 pounds of CO₂ per pound of soy oil used over the life cycle of the vehicle. We now use soy-based foam in all of our vehicles in North America. We are now developing a life cycle analysis tool to understand the potential benefits and trade-offs of using bio-based composite materials in automotive components in collaboration with the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems. We have used this life cycle-based material selection tool to evaluate a cellulose-reinforced polypropylene composite used in grill shutter housing and found that it has overall advantages in energy and global warming impacts compared with the glass-fiber reinforced composite. For more information on soy-based foam and other renewable materials, please see Renewable Materials

Life cycle analysis also underpinned our decision to dramatically increase the amount of aluminum and high strength steel used in the 2015 F-150. Our studies show that using more aluminum, high strength steel and other lightweight materials lowers the vehicles’ life cycle CO₂ emissions. Though the energy required to make these materials can be higher than the energy needed to produce the steel that is typically used, the increase in CO₂ emissions resulting from production-related energy use is more than offset by the CO₂ reduction from lowering vehicle weight and thereby improving vehicle fuel efficiency. We also found that lightweighting has the most life cycle CO₂ benefits on larger, heavier and more powerful vehicles. The use of aluminum and high-strength steel in the 2015 F-150 also makes the truck stronger, more durable and more capable than any previous F-150. For more information on the 2015 F-150, please see Case Study: The New F-150.

Helping Fleet Customers with Life Cycle Analysis Tools

In 2012, we launched a suite of tools that use life cycle analysis and other analytical strategies to help fleet customers compare the sustainability and cost benefits of the different vehicle technology and alternative fuel options available in today’s marketplace. The toolkit allows fleet customers to assess the CO₂ footprint of their existing vehicle fleet and make side-by-side comparisons of emissions and fuel costs for different vehicle types, powertrain options, fuel options and personalized user criteria such as local fuel costs, regional and local electricity sources, and driving behavior. Based on this information, the tool helps a customer assess the relative emissions and cost benefits of different vehicle options. For example, for a customer deciding the best location to add electric vehicles to his or her fleet, the calculator shows that the Focus Electric emits about 70 g CO₂/km using electricity from the low-carbon California grid but more than twice as much, about 150 g CO₂/km, in the more coal-intensive Southeast U.S. The calculator enables our fleet customers to both save money and protect the environment. For more information on this suite of tools, please see our Ford Fleet Purchase Planner™ case study.