Page 262 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

238 Cha pte r T w e l v e

travel, both business and personal, involve a mixture of different
modes of transport. For example, freight container shipments rou-
tinely travel via a combination of rail, sea, and truck, while commut-
ers routinely travel to work via a combination of private and public
transportation. Second, as shown in Table 12.1, each mode involves
inte gration of a variety of different systems with different life-cycle
considerations—vehicle systems, energy systems, control systems,
infrastructure systems, and associated maintenance systems. Third,
the performance metrics that must be balanced are broad-ranging
including satisfaction of customer needs for accessibility, affordabil-
ity, speed, reliability, safety, and security. Lastly, redesign of transpor-
tation systems cannot be accomplished without an understanding of
the relevant policy environment with regard to urban and regional
planning and economic development.
Thus, genuine innovation in sustainable mobility will require
extraordinary collaboration among a variety of stakeholders, both
public and private. No single company can address all of the above
issues in isolation. However, individual companies can make head-
way through the design of products, processes, and systems in a way
that reduces environmental burdens or enhances environmental qual-
ity. Even better, companies can work with their supply chain partners
to develop sustainable solutions. Indeed, understanding the environ-
mental impacts of design requires life-cycle thinking, since the
impacts occur at many points along the value chain.
For example, Figure 12.2 illustrates the results of a life-cycle study
for a generic 4-passenger sedan, showing the percent of total environ-
mental burdens contributed at each life-cycle stage. Energy use and

Transport Vehicle Energy Operational Infrastructure Life-Cycle
Mode Systems Systems Systems Systems Systems
Air Aircraft, Liquid Fuels, Air Traffic Airports, Maintenance,
Dirigibles Gases Control Provisioning Recycling
Water Watercraft, Liquid Fuels, Harbor Ocean Maintenance,
Amphibious Wind Power Control Terminals, Recycling
Provisioning
Rail Conventional, Liquid Fuels, Monitoring, Railways, Maintenance,
High-Speed Electric Dispatching Provisioning Recycling
Road Automobiles, Liquid Fuels, Monitoring, Roadways, Maintenance
Motorcycles, Fuel Cells, Congestion Bridges, (Vehicle/Road),
Moto- Electric, Management Refueling Reverse
Rickshaws Hybrid, etc. Stations Logistics
Trucks, etc.
Non- Pedestrian, N.A. N.A. Roads, Dedi- Maintenance,
Powered Bicycles, cated Animal
Animal-Drawn Pathways Husbandry

TABLE 12.1 Design Considerations for Sustainable Mobility