The final 12 months of the project were focussing on the finalisation of the TranSensus LCA approach and the consensus building with all relevant stakeholders. Overall, a harmonised, commonly accepted LCA approach for the automotive sector has been achieved.
The methodology development followed a scientific and democratic process within WP2, adhering to the ISO 14040 LCA framework. The agreed methodology includes 144 specific requirements (59 mandatories) for E-LCA and 51 requirements for S-LCA (15 mandatories), covering all aspects from goal and scope to inventory, impact assessment, interpretation, and reporting. An annex provides additional guidance for LCA practitioners. The feasibility and applicability of the methodology have been tested and a dedicated deliverable has been published.
The consensus building took place mainly between the consortium and the Advisory boards. For the consensus building, feedback across three voting rounds were collected and analyzed, which involved more than 95 questions. The feedback highlighted areas requiring clarification, such as definitions of key concepts and the integration of social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodologies. A specific focus was placed on road testing the methodology, where real-world scenarios were evaluated to assess the practicality of the guidelines. This road testing provided critical insights into the applicability of the methodology by conducting 4 test cases (LDV BEV, HDV BEV, FCEV and S-LCA), leading to recommendations for methodological and editorial adjustments that ensure the guidelines meet the diverse needs of stakeholders. Overall, the validation and proof of practicability has demonstrated that the TranSensus LCA approach can meet its expectations and is ready to use. For the final consensus a Liaison Group with four representatives from member states has been established.
The final, harmonised TranSensus LCA approach were consolidated in a guideline in which also the findings of the road testing were taken up. In addition, prestandardisation efforts were made which included the development of communication materials in the form of a brochure, a presentation and a video availabel through the project's homepage. These dissemination materials summarised the scope and key findings of the guidelines.
All objectives have been met.
