Total life-cycle assessment of PEM fuel cell car

Most life-cycle assessments of fuel cells, fuel cell vehicles and other hydrogen technologies to date have focussed on single issues, such as air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. The current investigation aims to be more comprehensive, by looking at specific technology in actual production, with the aim to create 1) an inventory of substances with potential harm, from PEM fuel cell production, over the system in which it is used to final disposition, 2) an impact analysis including environmental effects, health effects and less tangible social effects, 3) a damage assessment accounted in terms of actual physical damage, 4) an assessment in comparative terms, weighing the different damage contributions on a common scale as far as possible, and 5) suggesting alternative procedures during production, materials choice, conditions of use, and finally decommissioning, that will reduce those impacts deemed critical, eventually by formulating norms and regulation to govern the use of fuel cells in society.