IDC’s LCA Calculator Drives Low Carbon Vehicle Project

Revolutionary lifecycle assessment software for sustainable product design, called the LCA Calculator, has been selected as the main tool in the multi-million pound Low Carbon Vehicle Technology Project (LCVTP). Following a comprehensive review of the commercially available LCA tools, the LCA Calculator, developed by Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC), was chosen by a consortium of leading automotive companies and research partners to provide sustainability data about the way vehicles are powered and manufactured.

The LCA Calculator had been used successfully by Jaguar Land Rover for their internal projects. Therefore as a member of the project consortium, Jaguar Land Rover recommended the software as the main analysis tool for the LCVTP to assess the design of vehicles for carbon output. Previously the LCA Calculator was designed for general use across different industries, but IDC has worked closely with consortium coordinator, Warwick University, to refine the LCA Calculator and also to develop a version of the tool addressing the particular needs of automotive manufacturers.

As part of the LCA Calculator’s latest upgrade, the system now uses data from licensed from EcoInvent, which is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most comprehensive and independently verified data sources. In addition to the EcoInvent data, the LCA Calculator also gives manufacturers the option to add or edit materials and CO2 impacts to integrate data specific to their own supply chain. IDC worked with the consortium to build on the flexibility of the LCA Calculator and it now enables users to make notes and assumptions throughout the lifecycle assessment process. These additional features mean the LCA Calculator is now also able to support compliance with lifecycle standards such as ISO 14040 and PAS 2050 standards for life cycle assessment and for carbon foot-printing.

The automotive version of the LCA Calculator has been fully tested by the consortium and is now being used by Jaguar Land Rover and Warwick Manufacturing Group. The automotive version has just been released and is available for purchase from IDC, together with a general version applicable to a wide range of products and industries. Full information about the LCA Calculator’s capabilities is available at: www.lcacalculator.com where you can also sign up for a free trial.