HUST contributes to research on emission reduction in the transportation sector

The Research Project on the effectiveness of biofuel application for new-generation cars in Vietnam was implemented to prove the effectiveness of E5 gasoline with hybrid cars in cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.

The "Green solutions to reduce emissions in the automobile industry towards carbon neutrality" conference on August 3rd, 2023 was co-organized by Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Toyota Motor Vietnam Company and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company to provide solutions to reduce emissions in the transportation sector through the Research Project on the Effectiveness of Biofuel Application for Vehicles in Vietnam, which was carried out by HUST scientists alongside partnering businesses, and other CO2 reduction activities.

The environmental protection revolution
In November 2021, Vietnam alongside almost 150 countries pledged to bring net emissions to "zero" by mid-century at The United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties - COP26.

“This is a revolution,” commented Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung, Vice Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, especially in the context of Vietnam's energy and transportation sectors using relatively old technology.
 

During the discussion, Mr. Le Van Duong, Director General of the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Transportation shared Vietnam's comprehensive perspective and roadmap on ways to develop solutions to reduce emissions in the automobile industry. He said that from 2022-2030, the assembly and export of electric road vehicles will be promoted and aimed at 100% using E5 biofuel materials. From 2050, 100% of the country's road motor vehicles will convert to using green energy.

According to data provided by Deloitte at the seminar, road vehicles account for about 16-17% of emissions into the environment and are also one of the main causes of the constantly increasing CO2 emissions during the past 2 decades. Although the ultimate goal is the same - carbon neutrality, each country approaches the problem differently. The global shift to electric vehicles is happening at different speeds in each market. In most countries, hybrid electric vehicles receive more attention than electric cars.

According to Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Dung, using hybrid electric vehicles and biological materials is a suitable method for Vietnam's current conditions in the transition period of green energy vehicles. He added that Vietnam has not been able to completely convert to electric vehicles for two reasons: first, the domestic electricity power source is not sufficient; Second, the production process of most electricity sources in Vietnam today uses fossil fuels. “Of course, using electric vehicles will be more prominent in the future as Vietnam gradually shifts electricity production towards using renewable energy.”
 
Contributing to Vietnam's commitment to reducing greenhouse emissions, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the country's leading technical university, also participated in research on technological optimization processes in energy production, consumption and conversion. These include research on the use of green materials, biological materials, and renewable energy in the chemical, metallurgy, materials, mechanics, electricity - electronic industries, etc.

A practical scientific study
The project has collaborated with Toyota to research the effectiveness of hybrid vehicles since 2020 when the Japanese car company officially introduced a car model using hybrid gasoline-electric technology in Vietnam.

Last March, the School of Mechanical Engineering signed a memorandum of understanding with Toyota Vietnam Company and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company on the Research Project on the effectiveness of biofuel application for new-generation vehicles in Vietnam with the goal of proving the effectiveness of E5 gasoline with hybrid cars in reducing emissions.

The School of Mechanical Engineering conducts research, monitors, and evaluates the effectiveness of using biofuels for new-generation cars, including internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) on different criteria: Fuel consumption, emission levels and actual usage conditions.

In the project, the research team used 3 types of gasoline: E5 gasoline, E10 gasoline and RON 95 gasoline. In particular, the vehicles and gasoline materials used in the project met high Euro 5 standards, with the E5 gasoline line that has yet to appear on the market, and RON 95 gasoline which is imported in limited quantities.

Conducted in laboratory conditions and on real roads (inner city roads, national routes and highways), with peak and off-peak hours from March 16, 2023 to July 10, 2023, the project provided several important experimental results in phase 1.

Regarding fuel consumption, in peak urban conditions, biofuel helps hybrid electric vehicles significantly reduce fuel consumption compared to regular gasoline. Hybrid cars provide better fuel economy than internal combustion engine cars in all three types of gasoline. The fuel-saving effect of biofuel varies with speed and wheel resistance level.

Regarding the level of emissions, in many operating conditions with all three types of gasoline, hybrid electric vehicles have a better CO2 reduction efficiency than internal combustion vehicles, the largest being 61% in urban conditions. HEVs are significantly effective in reducing harmful gasses compared to ICE vehicles with all three types of gasoline, with the greatest reduction being 27% of HC gas and 48% of CO gas.

Regarding operation, using biofuel does not affect the vehicle's operation.

According to data from the study, using hybrid cars with biological materials (including the production life cycle of the materials) can reduce emissions by 43% compared to internal combustion engine cars. This is a clear demonstration of a sustainable emission reduction solution in the transportation sector that is suitable for Vietnam's conditions and roadmap.

At this time, the project only focuses on evaluating fuel efficiency and greenhouse emissions, but in the future it will expand to the assessment of the impact of gasoline on engine quality.

Students in the automotive engineering technology major are the main participants and have experienced the latest global technology right in their classrooms. Students from years 3 to 5 were assigned to suitable jobs in the project under the teachers' supervision.
 

At the conference, Mr. Nakano Keita, General Director of Toyota Vietnam, partner of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, shared: "Toyota Vietnam constantly strives to contribute to the sustainable development of the automobile industry. Together with businesses, researchers and State management agencies, we aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as set by the Government.”

According to Assoc. Prof. Dam Hoang Phuc, Director of the Automotive Engineering Technology training program, cooperation between schools and businesses is essential. "This research represents the breath of life because it directly serves the needs of businesses and the automotive industry today," he affirmed that business support creates conditions for students and researchers to interact with the latest equipment and technology, thereby improving the quality of training and research at Hanoi University of Science and Technology.