Estimation of total transport CO2 emissions generated by medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) in a sector of Korea

Abstract

In order to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions, policy action that addresses vehicle emissions is essential. While many previous studies have focused on light-duty vehicles (LDV), little is known about medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDV). This study lays the groundwork for future MHDV investigations in the Republic of Korea by developing an MHDV CO2 emissions inventory. The bottom-up approach was used to calculate national CO2 emissions. Simulation methods that calculated the CO2 emissions of each vehicle and statistical data, such as vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the number of registered vehicles were used to predict CO2 emissions. The validity of this simulation model was examined by comparing it with the chassis dynamometer test results. The results of this study showed that the CO2 emissions of MHDV in 2015 were 24.47 million tons, which was 25.5% of the total road transportation CO2 emissions, despite only comprising 4.2% of the total vehicles. Trucks emitted 69.6% and buses emitted 30.4% of the total MHDV CO2 emissions. Using the results between 2012 and 2015, the level of business-as-usual (BAU) CO2 emissions will be 25.37 million tons in 2020.