A University of Michigan and Ford Motor Company study evaluates the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions relative to gasoline-powered pickup trucks as part of the decarbonization of the transportation industry.

Sedan, SUV, and pickup truck battery-electric vehicles have approximately 64% lower cradle-to-grave life cycle greenhouse gas emissions than internal-combustion-engine vehicles on average across the United States.

Replacing an internal-combustion-engine pickup with a battery-electric pickup results in a reduction of 74 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over the lifetime of the vehicle on average.

While battery-electric vehicles currently have larger greenhouse gas emissions in their manufacturing than internal-combustion-engine vehicles, due to battery production, this impact is offset by savings in their operation.

Major automotive manufacturers are ramping up the production of electric trucks as a key strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their fleets. Light-duty vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks, are currently responsible for 58% of U.S. transportation sector emissions. Pickup trucks accounted for 14% of light-duty vehicle sales in the United States in 2020, and the market share of both pickups and SUVs has grown in recent years.

But what does pickup truck electrification mean for the decarbonization of the transportation industry?

University of Michigan and Ford Motor Company researchers addressed this question in a new study and evaluated the savings in greenhouse gas emissions relative to gasoline-powered pickup trucks.

Researchers found that light-duty, battery-electric vehicles have approximately 64% lower cradle-to-grave life cycle greenhouse gas emissions than internal-combustion-engine vehicles on average across the United States.

“This is an important study to inform and encourage climate action. Our research clearly shows substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions that can be achieved from transitioning to electrified powertrains across all vehicle classes,” said study senior author Greg Keoleian, a professor at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability and director of the U-M Center for Sustainable Systems.

“This study can help us to understand the potential impact of electrification from an emissions-reduction perspective, particularly as we introduce new electric vehicles, and how we can continue to accelerate our progress towards carbon neutrality. We’re proud to partner with U-M in this critical work,” said Cynthia Williams, global director of sustainability, homologation and compliance at Ford.

In the study, researchers conducted a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of pickup trucks and compared the implications of pickup truck electrification to those of sedan and SUV electrification.

With a focus on evaluating greenhouse gas emissions, researchers looked at three different model year 2020 powertrain options—internal-combustion-engine vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, and battery-electric vehicles—for midsize sedans, midsize SUVs, and full-size pickup trucks, accounting for differences in fuel economy, annual mileage, vehicle production, and vehicle lifetime across vehicle classes.

“This study expands upon previous studies that have focused on comparing battery-electric vehicle sedans to their internal-combustion-engine or hybrid counterparts,” said Keoleian. “We report emissions for vehicle production, use, and end-of-life stages on a per-mile basis and over the total vehicle lifetime. In addition, we analyzed the regional variation in emissions considering differences in electricity grid mixes and ambient temperatures, and we also explored the effects of the rate of grid decarbonization on emission reduction.”

The study offers key findings. Researchers, for instance, found that switching an internal-combustion-engine vehicle to a battery-electric vehicle results in greater total tonnage of emissions reductions as the vehicle size increases, due to the greater fuel consumption of larger vehicles. “Though the percentage savings is approximately the same across vehicle classes, on average replacing an internal-combustion-engine sedan with a battery-electric sedan saves 45 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, replacing an internal-combustion-engine SUV with a battery-electric SUV saves 56 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and replacing an internal-combustion-engine pickup with a battery-electric pickup saves 74 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent over the lifetime of the vehicles,” said study first author and Center for Sustainable Systems Research Specialist Max Woody.

The researchers also found that battery-electric vehicles have larger greenhouse gas emissions in their manufacturing than internal-combustion-engine vehicles, due to battery production, but this impact is offset by savings in their operation. For battery-electric vehicles and internal-combustion-engine vehicles, the breakeven time is 1.2 to 1.3 years for sedans, 1.4 to 1.6 years for SUVs, and 1.3 years for pickup trucks, based on the average U.S. grid and vehicle miles traveled.

Vehicle emissions vary across the country, as different temperatures and different drive cycles affect a vehicle’s fuel economy. For electric vehicles, the emissions intensity of the local electricity grid is also an important factor. The study developed maps to show the lifetime grams of carbon dioxide equivalent/mile for each powertrain (internal-combustion-engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and battery-electric vehicles) and vehicle type (sedan, SUV, and pickup truck) by county across the United States. Researchers found that concerns about battery-electric vehicles having higher emissions than internal-combustion-engine vehicles or hybrids are largely unfounded, as battery-electric vehicles outperform hybrids in 95% to 96% of counties, while battery-electric vehicles outperform internal-combustion-engine vehicles in 98% to 99% of counties, even assuming only modest progress towards grid decarbonization.

Charging strategies can further reduce battery-electric vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. The study found that charging during the hours of the day with the lowest grid emissions intensity can reduce emissions by 11% on average. “Deployment of electric vehicles and expansion of renewable energy resources like solar and wind should be done at the same time; the benefit of each is increased by the development of the other,” said Woody.

The study, “The role of pickup truck electrification in the decarbonization of light-duty vehicles,” was published online March 1 in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

The other authors of the study are Parth Vaishnav of the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability and Center for Sustainable Systems and Robert De Kleine, Hyung Chul Kim, James E. Anderson, and Timothy J. Wallington of Ford Motor Company’s Research and Innovation Center.

This study was supported by Ford Motor Company through a Ford-University of Michigan Alliance Project Award.

Click here for more information.

Photo: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat. Pre-production model with available features shown. Available starting spring 2022.

Pölkky Oy, a Finnish wood processing company, has awarded AFRY an engineering and consulting services assignment for the renovation projects of its sawmills in Kajaani and Taivalkoski.

Wood is a natural, renewable, and durable raw material with unique material properties. Renewable, responsibly produced wood is the only sustainable building material. The use of wood as a raw material is increasing in the building industry as companies are encouraged to adopt more sustainable construction methods to reduce high CO₂ emissions.

Pölkky Oy is the largest private wood processing company in Northern Finland. As part of its long-term growth strategy, Pölkky’s production plant in Kajaani will be rebuilt in 2022–2024. The sawing capacity will increase to 450,000 cubic meters per year, amounting to a sawn wood usage of around 900,000 m3 per year.

Pölkky will also renew the sawing technology of the Taivalkoski unit. The sawmill capacity in Taivalkoski will increase to 300,000 cubic meters during 2023 after the first phase of investments.  About 600,000 m3 of sawn wood will be used per year.

AFRY will provide multidisciplinary engineering work for the modernization of the sawmills and new sawing lines. In addition, AFRY conducts various studies related to logistics, infrastructure, and emissions. The value of the order is not stated.

“AFRY, with its extensive expertise and strong industry-specific knowledge, was a safe choice for us as a partner,” says Petteri Virranniemi, Managing Director of Pölkky Oy.

“We are honored to be Pölkky Oy’s partner in this sustainable wood processing project of the future. Our operating model, where local presence and knowhow is supported by global competencies, enables us to deliver world-class consulting and engineering services to Pölkky,” says Kalle Rasinmäki, President, Process Industries Finland at AFRY.

For further information, please contact:

Nicholas Oksanen, EVP and Head of Process Industries Division
e-mail nicholas.oksanen@afry.com

Kalle Rasinmäki, President, Process Industries Finland and Asia
Tel. +358 40 566 4250
e-mail kalle.rasinmaki@afry.com

Media Contacts:

Marika Hahtala, Director Communications, Marketing & Business Development, Process Industries
Tel. +358 40 823 8986
e-mail marika.hahtala@afry.com

Quick facts: Wood as a building material is fully recyclable, and it sequesters carbon dioxide throughout the life cycle of the building. In Finland, forests are managed in accordance with sustainability and the forest produces more than is spent. AFRY has strong experience in the entire value chain of the wood processing industry. Read more about our services

AFRY is a European leader in engineering, design, and advisory services, with a global reach.

Renewable energy company Drax Group is donating £280,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal to support relief efforts for the Ukrainian people following Russia’s invasion.

The sum includes £30,000 of employee match funding from Drax’s employees based in the UK, US and Canada, maximising its collective impact to help those fleeing the conflict.

Drax CEO Will Gardiner said:
“Our first concern is for the Ukrainian people – for their safety and wellbeing. Drax stands behind and recognises their bravery and we hope this donation will go some way to helping those most in need.

“Like many others around the world, I absolutely condemn the Russian invasion. The resolute stance of NATO, the EU and many companies is heartening, but the situation for those in Ukraine is very worrying.”

The DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal aims to provide food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection to families fleeing the conflict who have left their homes.

Drax has ceased the supply of a very small percentage of Russian biomass used at its power station in Yorkshire to generate renewable electricity and is working with its suppliers and customers to identify any further links to Russia.

Drax’s biomass supply chain is large and diversified with the vast majority of its supply coming from long-standing allies, the US and Canada.

Media contacts:
Selina Williams
Media Manager
E: selina.williams@drax.com
T: 07912 230 393

BSW, the UK’s largest integrated forestry and sawmilling group, has unveiled its new brand, with an expanded vision of ‘seeing timber in new light’. The brand launch sees the group uniting its capabilities under a new, overarching, BSW Group brand, forging an integrated supply chain to create value and sustain long-term growth.

Tony Hackney, CEO, BSW Group, said: “As the sector’s biggest integrated business, with capabilities including tree nurseries, forestry management, harvesting, production and energy, we believe we have a responsibility to drive positive change.

“Following a period of intense acquisition activity, we commissioned a robust, independent review of our brand and market positioning to guide the actions needed to support a more sustainable future. The feedback we gained has been invaluable. It has inspired our vision to become the most innovative, technologically advanced and sustainable timber business in the UK.”

As part of the launch, BSW Group is committing to ensuring a seamless, circular supply chain, to investing in innovation and education, and to giving people more stability and choice.

“By growing markets, increasing efficiency and resilience, and elevating our craft, we can help secure the future of our industry and our planet. We have a shared will to create value and achieve sustainable growth,” added Tony.

The brand launch follows BSW Group’s acquisition by Binderholz, which completed on 5th January 2022, strengthening the brand’s positioning in the value-added timber market.

Our businesses – Maelor Forest Nurseries, Tilhill, Dick Brothers, BSW Timber, BSW Timber Solutions, Bayram Timber and BSW Energy – will continue to operate in their own specialist areas under the new overarching BSW Group brand, with a shared vision to create value and achieve sustainable growth.

For more information, visit www.thebswgroup.co.uk.

The world’s first fully wood-based furniture board is a circular economy product born from the cooperation of Koskisen Oy & Stora Enso

Koskisen is the first company to start using the bio-based binder NeoLigno® by Stora Enso – in its new sustainable product family. The two Finnish companies’ cooperation results in the world’s first new entirely wood-based furniture board, all the way to its adhesives. Both the raw and the binding materials are sourced from the production process flows of both companies, making this a complete circular economy product.

The Finnish wood industry is doing an exemplary job in providing sustainable solutions that push the industry towards a more environmentally friendly future, one product at a time.

Koskisen, the Finnish little giant of the wood processing industry, is the first in the world to produce a furniture board sourced entirely from wood-based raw materials. Named Zero boards, the products replace fossil-based resin with NeoLigno® – the bio-based lignin binder developed by Stora Enso. In addition to its environmental friendliness, NeoLigno® is also free from formaldehyde and isocyanate.

” Our new Zero product family answers the rising demand for bio-based solutions from both domestic and export markets. These new products allow furniture manufacturers to offer alternatives with better sustainability and health security”, sums up Koskisen Head of Product Management and R&D Timo Linna.

Optimising wood utilization

The Zero Furniture Board, the firstborn from the Zero product family, is produced at the Koskisen panel factory in Järvelä – a one-hour drive from Helsinki. The basic material for all Koskisen furniture boards is sourced from the process flows of the company’s panel factory and sawmill. With all Zero products, the lignin used in the NeoLigno® binder has been extracted in Stora Enso’s pulp process at its Sunila Mill  into its own process flow. This results in all raw materials of the board being entirely wood-based.

”At the core of our environmentally responsible strategy is to not only develop better products together with our partners but also to take our operations towards a more sustainable and carbon-neutral future. We can achieve this, for instance, by exchanging fossil-based raw materials with renewable alternatives, and by utilizing wood as optimally as possible. The Zero product family stands as a concrete action that takes our strategy into everyday reality”, says Koskisen CEO Jukka Pahta.

Industry-scale test runs with final optimisation for the furniture boards are already underway, with the process being near completion.

Significant cooperation for Stora Enso

Previously, as a byproduct of the pulp industry, lignin has been typically utilised as bioenergy in energy production. NeoLigno® serves as an example of how Stora Enso increases the value added of lignin without increasing the use of wood.

“Stora Enso has been refining lignin commercially since 2015. NeoLigno® is our first own binder product that replaces fossil-based adhesives”, says Lauri Lehtonen, Head of Innovation of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division.

Koskisen is the first company to utilise NeoLigno® in industrial production.

Currently being at its finishing phases, the Zero Furniture Board will enter markets in the autumn of 2022. After the furniture board, the next member of the Zero family will be the plywood board.

Additional information:

Riitta Ahokas, R&D Manager, riitta.ahokas@koskisen.com, tel. +358 40 553 4410

Satu Härkönen, Head of Communications, Finnish media relations, Stora Enso
tel. +358 40 832 7458

Koskisen Oy

Koskisen is a century-old international expert of wood processing, comprised of 900 dedicated industry professionals. Their products are sold to 70 countries with an annual turnover of €300M. In Finland they have wood procurement unit and they produce sawn timber products, plywood, particle boards and veneers. They also have production facilities in Russia and Poland.

Stora Enso

Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper. They employ some 23 000 people and our shares are listed on the Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Stockholm (STE A, STE R) stock exchanges.

Finnish wood products and processing company Koskisen has chosen Leonova Diamond and Condmaster Ruby as its new condition monitoring tools at the chipboard mill in Järvelä, near Lahti in southern Finland. System implementation took place in December 2021.

In competition with another supplier to replace existing instrumentation and software, SPM Instrument Finland was awarded the contract because of the many advantages in the SPM product portfolio, including HD technologies and the possibility of combining handheld measurement, online, and wireless sensor data into one system. Koskisen has had separate handheld and wireless sensors systems, which they want to upgrade in the coming years.

In addition to the Leonova Diamond, SPM Instrument Finland also recently delivered a LineLazer alignment set to replace Koskisen’s outdated alignment sensors.

Regarding the reasons Koskisen found SPM a good choice for them, Heikki Sutinen, Maintenance Supervisor at the chipboard factory, said: “We now have capable equipment for our condition monitoring needs for years to come. The solution offers a greater resolution, more functions, and much better software than our old system. Its versatility also enables us to commission new equipment. We can now monitor slow rotating machines, and balancing tools are also a new feature for us. The new software is a huge improvement to its predecessor.”

Established in Finland in 1909, Koskisen is a forerunner in the sawn timber and panel industry. Roughly 900 employees make an annual turnover of close to EUR 311 million at the family-owned company.

Held exclusively by C3 Limited, and developed in collaboration with industry partner, Page Macrae Engineering and customers, the revolutionary log loading technology is set to deliver unparalleled levels of safety and provide greater flexibility with no requirement for specialised infrastructure.

The new grapple loading system – which is wholly designed and built in New Zealand – is a shift away from the industry-norm of a plunger style Cranston and log wires which can present safety and efficiency challenges. Instead, the C3 LVG, which is easily transportable and can be operated in any port, removes the need for wharf hands to sling loads reducing significant risks.

Gavin Hudson, C3 New Zealand and Pedersen Group COO, said after a series of extensive trials the C3 LVG had already proven its worth, so much so that C3 has commissioned a further 22 units to be delivered in 2022.

“The initial results across the board were very impressive. The decreased level of exposure to risks for our people was immediately clear and there was a significant improvement on the traditional loading methods,” said Hudson.

“Our first four C3 Log Vessel Grapples have gone live at Port of Tauranga and a further four will be commissioned in Wellington in March. Others will then follow as the year progresses,” he added.

The development and delivery of the C3 LVG has also been of benefit to New Zealand’s domestic engineering and manufacturing sector with Page Macrae Engineering proving to be an excellent partner on the highly technical and bespoke project.

“The entire PME team is proud to be involved in this project with C3. Although we have innovated a number of products for customers in the past, the C3 LVG’s are a real step forward for PME given the level of automation and ‘smarts’. We look forward to building on our already strong relationship with C3 through assisting them to effectively meet their customer’s needs,” said Dave Body, Page Macrae Engineering CEO.

While safety and overall efficiency gains were significant drivers in the development of the C3 LVG, the flexibility, cost effectiveness and compatibility the technology can provide make it a complete and compelling offering compared to other industry alternatives.

“The arrival of the C3 LVG is exciting for our team, our customers and the industry. It’s a terrific piece of needs-based innovation that makes a real difference in the overall operation. The design of the C3 LVG means it’s easily deployed and can be operated from a standard crane. It’s self-powered and remote operated and is designed to work with current standard trailers and log bunks, minimising additional infrastructure costs,” said Hudson.

Source: C3 Ltd
CEO at Pedersen Group
Dave Body, Page Macrae Engineering CEO.

Bois Daaquam, located in Saint Just De Bretenieres, Que., is investing in a new USNR end-dog carriage line. The new system replaces a dated Forano carriage that has provided good service over many years, and now makes way for new technology that will improve both recovery and throughput.

This new line is scheduled to be installed in 2023.

The end-dog carriage is an extremely versatile machine, capable of horizontal and vertical skewing, and 360-degree log rotation.

This fully automated system makes use of USNR’s proprietary Lasar2 sensors. The Lasar2 scanning system combines dense 3D scan data, and together with USNR’s powerful optimization engine, it is proven to maximize grade recovery in carriage lines around the globe.