20200915polestarlcafinala

Life cycle assessment 1/38
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Carbon footprint of Polestar 2
2
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Disclaimer
Disclaimer This report is informational only and (1) is based solely on an analysis of Polestar 2 (model
year 2020) and Volvo XC40 petrol internal combustion engine (model year 2020) and does not
include information regarding any other Polestar or Volvo Cars vehicle and (2) does not create
any commitment regarding current or future products or carbon footprint impacts.
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Contents
Contents Executive summary 4

Author 6
Terms and definitions 7
1 General description of life cycle assessment (LCA) 9

1.1 Principles of LCA 9
1.2 LCA standards 9
2 Methodology 11
2.1 The products 11
2.2 Way of working overview 11
2.3 Methodology to define vehicle material composition 11
2.4 Goal and scope definition 12
2.4.1 System boundaries 13
2.4.2 Function, functional unit and reference flows 13
2.4.3 Allocations 14
2.4.4 System expansion 14
2.4.5 Assumptions and limitations 14
3 Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI) 15

3.1 Material production and refining 15
3.1.1 Aluminium production and refining 15
3.1.2 Steel production and refining 16
3.1.3 Electronics production and refining 16
3.1.4 Plastics production and refining 16
3.1.5 Minor material categories, production and refining 16
3.1.6 Electricity use in materials production and refining 16
3.2 Battery modules 17
3.3 Manufacturing and logistics 17
3.3.1 Logistics 17
3.3.2 Manufacturing 17
3.4 Use phase 17
3.5 End-of-life of the vehicle 18
3.5.1 Process description 18
4 Results for Polestar 2 20

4.1 Polestar 2 compared to XC40 ICE (petrol) 20
5 Discussion 23
5.1 Qualitative sensitivity analysis 23
5.2 Possible future work 24
6 Conclusions 25
Appendix 1 – General methodology when

choosing datasets for complete vehicle carbon footprints 26
Appendix 2 – Chosen datasets 28
Appendix 3 – Complete list of IDMS Material Library material categories 34
Appendix 4 – Summary of data choices and assumptions for component manufacturing 36
Appendix 5 – End-of-life assumptions and method 37

A5.1 Transport 37
A5.2 Disassembly 37
A5.3 Pre-treatment 37
A5.4 Shredding 37
A5.5 Material recycling 37
A5.6 Final disposal – incineration and landfill 37
A5.7 Data collection 38
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Executive summary
Executive summary The carbon footprint presented in this report is based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA),
performed in this study according to ISO LCA standards1. In addition, the “Product Life Cycle
Accounting and Reporting Standard”2 published by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol has been
used for guidance in methodological choices. Given the great number of variables and
possible methodological choices in LCA studies, these standards generally provide few strict
requirements to be followed. Instead they mostly provide guidelines for the practitioner. For
this reason, care should be taken when comparing our results with results from other vehicle
manufacturers’ carbon footprints. In general, assumptions have been made in a conservative
way, in order to not underestimate the impact from unknown data.
The LCA and the underlying methodology will be used as the metric for assessing the carbon
footprint of Polestar’s cars. The calculation will be performed regularly and serve as a framework
for measuring green house gas (GHG) reduction related activities. Major work has been put in to
building the methodology. The methodology will be continuously developed and used to compile
future carbon footprints for Polestar vehicles. The methodology will also be expanded to incor-
porate additional environmental impact categories. The work was carried out during 2020 as a
collaboration between Polestar and Volvo Cars, and as a comparison a carbon footprint has also
been determined for the Volvo Cars XC40 petrol internal combustion engine vehicle (XC40 ICE).
Figure 1
Tonne XC40 Polestar 2 Polestar 2 Polestar 2
CO₂e ICE Global electricity mix European electricity mix Wind power
Carbon footprint for Polestar 2 and XC40
58
ICE, with different electricity mixes in the
use phase used for Polestar 2. Results are
shown in tonne CO2-equivalents per func-
50
tional unit (200,000 km lifetime range).
60
n
n
n
Materials production
Li-ion battery modules
Manufacturing
50
42
27
n Use phase 40
n End-of-life
30
20
10
The carbon footprint includes emissions from upstream supplier activities, manufacturing
and logistics, use phase of the vehicle and the end-of-life phase. The functional unit chosen is
“The use of a specific Polestar vehicle driving 200,000 km”.
As the production of the BEV’s Li-ion battery has a relatively large carbon footprint and con-
tribution to the total carbon footprint of a vehicle, a separate carbon footprint study has been
performed in collaboration with our battery module suppliers. The carbon footprint from the
rest of the BEV battery pack is included in the “Materials production”.
The two main differences in the carbon footprint between the Polestar 2 and the ICE appear
in the materials production (including the Li-ion battery modules) and the use phase. The
carbon footprint from materials production (including the Li-ion battery modules) of the ICE is
roughly 40% less than for Polestar 2. Looking at the category “Materials production” the five
main contributors for the XC40 ICE are aluminum 34%, steel and iron 34%, electronics 13%,
polymers 11% and fluids and undefined 4% (see Figure 10 for more details). For Polestar 2 the
main contributors to the carbon footprint of the material production (including Li-ion battery
modules) are aluminum 29%, Li-ion battery modules 29%, steel and iron 17%, electronics 10%
and polymers 7% (see Figure 10 for more details).
1 ISO 14044:2006 Environmental
management – Life cycle assessment –
Requirements and guidelines” and ISO It should be noted that the carbon footprint was performed to represent a globally sourced
14040:2006 “Environmental management version of the car models. Other methodological choices that have a large impact on the result
– Life cycle assessment – Principles and
framework” are choice of allocation method regarding scrap, and choice of datasets for steel and alumin-
ium production.
2 https://ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/
files/standards/Product-Life-Cycle-
Accounting-Reporting-Standard_041613.pdf
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Executive summary
Total use phase GHG emissions from the Polestar 2 vary greatly depending on the carbon
intensity of the electricity used. It should be noted that a BEV sold on a market with carbon-in-
tensive electricity production can be charged with electricity from renewable energy. This
would decrease the carbon footprint substantially. Furthermore, the results assume a con-
stant carbon intensity throughout the vehicle lifetime.
Figure 2 below shows the total of GHG emissions, depending on kilometres driven, from
Polestar 2 (with different electricity mixes in the use phase in the diagram), and XC40 ICE (ICE
in the diagram). Where the lines cross, break-even between the two vehicles occurs.
Table 1 below shows the number of kilometres needed to be driven in order to reach break-even
for Polestar 2 with different electricity mixes in the use phase compared to XC40 ICE.
Figure 2
Tonne
CO₂e
Total amount of GHG emissions, depending on
kilometres driven, from Polestar 2 (with different 60
electricity mixes in the use phase in the diagram),
and XC40 ICE. All life cycle phases except use
phase are summarised and set as the starting 50
point for each line at “LCA excluding use”.
n XC40 ICE 40
n Polestar 2 – global electricity mix
n Polestar 2 – european (EU28) electricity mix
n Polestar 2 – wind power 30
20
10
LCA 20' 40' 60' 80' 100' 120' 140' 160' 180' 200' Use phase (km)
excluding
use
Table 1
Electric mix Break-even (km)
Number of kilometres driven at break-even Polestar 2 – global electricity mix / XC40 ICE 112 000
between Polestar 2 with different electricity
mixes and XC40 ICE. Polestar 2 – european (EU28) electricity mix / XC40 ICE 78 000
Polestar 2 – wind power / XC40 ICE 50 000
The two stages “Manufacturing” and “End-of-life” are similar for the BEV and ICE and consti-
tute very small fractions of the Carbon Footprints compared to the materials production and
use phase.
This report contains a general description of the LCA methodology (Chapter 1), a description
of the methodological choices (Chapter 2) as well as some specific input data (Chapter 3)
and results concerning the carbon footprint connected to the Polestar 2 and the XC40 ICE
(Chapter 4). It also contains a discussion and interpretation of results (Chapter 5) and the main
conclusions (Chapter 6).
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Author and contact
Author Lisa Bolin

Life cycle assessment specialist, Polestar
Contact Fredrika Klarén

Quality and sustainability, Polestar
fredrika.klaren@polestar.com
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Terms and definitions
Terms and definitions BEV

Battery Electric Vehicle. A BEV is a type of electric vehicle (EV) that exclusively uses chemical
energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion.3
Characterisation
A calculation procedure in LCA where all emissions contributing to a certain impact category,
e.g. GHGs that contribute to global warming, are characterised into a single ‘currency’. For
global warming, the carbon footprint is often expressed as mass unit of CO2e, where e is short
for equivalents.
Cradle-to-gate
An assessment that includes part of the product’s life cycle, including material acquisition
through the production of the studied product and excluding the use or end-of-life stages.
However, for a component that is to be assembled in a product, a cradle-to-gate assessment
can be carried out that covers the production of the component and parts of the logistics chain
to the producer that assembles the component into a product.
Cradle-to-grave
A cradle-to-grave assessment considers impacts at each stage of the product’s life cycle,
from the time natural resources are extracted from the ground and processed through each
subsequent stage of manufacturing, transportation, product use, recycling, and ultimately,
disposal. 4
Cut-off criteria
Specification of the amount of material or energy flow, or the level of environmental signifi-
cance, associated with unit processes or product systems to be excluded from a study.4
Dataset (LCI or LCIA dataset)

A dataset containing life cycle information of a specified product or other reference (e.g. site,
process), covering descriptive metadata and quantitative life cycle inventory and/or life cycle
impact assessment data, respectively.5
End-of-life
End-of-life means the end of a product’s life cycle. Traditionally it includes waste collection and
waste treatment, e.g. reuse, recycling, incineration, landfill, etc.
Functional unit
Quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit.
GaBi
GaBi is LCA modelling software, provided by Sphera, which has been used for the modelling in
this study.5
GHG
Greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are gases that contribute to global warming, e.g.
carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as freons/CFCs. Greenhouse
gases are often quantifed as a mass unit of CO2e, where e is short for equivalents. See charac-
terisation for further description.
ICE
Internal Combustion Engine. Sometimes used as a category when referring to a vehicle
running with an ICE. An ICE vehicle uses exclusively chemical energy stored in a fuel, with no
secondary source of propulsion.
Impact category
Class representing environmental aspects of concern to which life cycle inventory analysis
3 Wikipedia, battery electric vehicle, results may be assigned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_
electric_vehicle
Life cycle
4 “The Shonan guidelines”, https:// Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or
www.lifecycleinitiative.org/wp-content/
uploads/2012/12/2011%20-%20Global%20 generation from natural resources to final disposal.
Guidance%20Principles.pdf
5 GaBi, Sphera, http://www.gabi- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) – Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the
software.com/sweden/index/ potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life.
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Terms and definitions
LCA modelling software

LCA modelling software, e.g. GaBi, is used to perform LCA. It is used for modelling, managing
internal databases, calculate LCA results etc, and contains databases from database providers.
Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI)

Phase of life cycle assessment involving the compilation and quantification of inputs and out-
puts for a product throughout its life cycle.
Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)

Phase of life cycle assessment aiming to understand and evaluate the magnitude and signifi-
cance of the potential environmental impacts for a product system throughout the life cycle of
the product.
Life cycle interpretation

Phase of life cycle assessment in which the findings of either the inventory analysis or the
impact assessment, or both, are evaluated in relation to the defined goal and scope in order to
reach conclusions and recommendations.
Process
Set of interrelated or interacting activities that transforms inputs into outputs. Processes
can be divided into categories, depending on the output of the process, e.g. material, energy,
transport or other service.
Raw material
Primary or secondary material that is used to produce a product.
System boundary
Set of criteria specifying which unit processes are part of a product system.
Scrap
1) A small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part
has been used. 2) Discarded metal for reprocessing.
Waste
Substances or objects which the holder intends or is required to dispose of.
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General description of
life cycle assessment
1 General description of life 1.1 Principles of LCA

cycle assessment (LCA)
The Life Cycle Assessment methodology (LCA) is used to determine which impacts a product
or a service has on the environment, and the European Commission has concluded that LCAs
provide the best framework for assessing the potential environmental impacts of products
currently available. The methodology evolved because there was a need to consider the
whole life cycle of a product when examining environmental impacts, instead of just looking
into one process at a time. When only dealing with one process at a time, the improvement in
one area might lead to increased environmental impact in another. To prevent this phenome-
non, known as sub-optimisation, an LCA aim is to include all processes from cradle to grave.
However, an LCA is always a study of the environmental impacts from the processes inside
the system boundary, defined in the goal and scope of the study. Therefore, it is important to
remember that all environmental impacts, from a product or service, can never be considered.
In Figure 3 the different stages of LCA are shown. First, the goal and scope of the study should
be defined. The system boundaries must be clearly stated, since it has a direct impact on the
result of the study. When the goal and scope are defined the inventory analysis can start. This
is where data regarding all processes inside the system boundaries are gathered. This data
can then be presented in a report and is referred to as Life Cycle Inventory (LCI). In addition,
in an LCA the data from the inventory analysis is further processed in the impact assessment
phase, where the different emissions (e.g. CO2, SO2, NOx etc.) are sorted into different catego-
ries depending on what environmental impact they contribute to. These categories can be, for
example: global warming, acidification and eutrophication. Through the impact assessment
the total environmental impact of the studied system can be evaluated. LCA is an iterative
process where e.g. interpretation of the results might lead to a need to revisit goal and scope
definition, inventory analysis or impact assessment, in order to create a final assessment that
in the best way addresses the question that one wants to answer.
Figure 3
Goal and scope definition Interpretation
Illustration of the general phases of a
life-cycle assessment, as described by
ISO 14040
Inventory analysis
Impact assessment
Sometimes a fourth step is included in LCA, called weighting. This is a step where the result is
aggregated even more. The different environmental impacts are weighed against each other
based on e.g. political goals, economical goals or the critical load of different substances in the
environment. In the Polestar LCA methodology weighting is not included as only one impact
category is studied.
1.2 LCA standards
This methodology is developed in order to produce Carbon Footprints for Polestar and Volvo
Cars vehicle models Polestar 2 and XC40 ICE (petrol). Therefore, only the impact category
“global warming potential” is used here. If there is a need to assess other environmental
effects, the methodology can be further developed to include those impacts.
6 Communication on Integrated Product The methodology follows the ISO 14044:2006 “Environmental management – Life cycle
Policy (COM (2003)302) assessment – Requirements and guidelines” and ISO 14040:2006 “Environmental
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General description of
life cycle assessment
anagement – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework” standards. These

m
standards differ from other standards that are commonly used by the vehicle industry, e.g. for
testing or certification of the products, since they contain very few strict requirements. Instead
they mostly provide guidelines for LCA, including: definition of the goal and scope of the
LCA, the Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI) phase, the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)
phase, the life cycle interpretation phase, reporting and critical review of the LCA, limitations
of the LCA, relationship between the LCA phases and conditions for use of value choices, and
optional elements. The standards are valid for LCAs of all products and services, and do not
provide enough detail to make LCAs of vehicles from different OEMs comparable.
In addition to ISO 14044, the standard called “Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting
Standard” published by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol has been used for guidance in method-
ological choices.
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Methodology
2 Methodology 2.1 The products
Polestar has developed one PHEV (Polestar 1) and one BEV (Polestar 2). Volvo Cars vehicles
can be categorized as:
– ICE – Internal Combustion Engine

– mHEV – mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle
– PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
– BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle
The methodology in this study was developed when performing LCAs of the vehicles
Polestar 2 and XC40 ICE (petrol), which only covers the BEV and ICE vehicle types. However,
the methodology can also be used to perform carbon footprints for PHEVs and mHEVs.
The studied cars are presented in Table 2.
Table 2
Car Total weight Li-ion battery modules weight (71–78kWh)
Studied cars and their corresponding Polestar 2 2110 350

weight in kg.
XC40 ICE 1690 –
2.2 Way of working overview
Figure 4 shows a high-level overview of how Polestar works to obtain carbon footprints of
vehicles. There are four main ways that data needed for the final LCA is retrieved. The import
to GaBi (see Terms and definitions) is then made in a specific mapping tool, provided by
Sphera, called GaBi-DFX7. The input to GaBi comes from:
– IMDS8 (International Material Data System) datasheets which contain information on mate-
rial compositions of the components
– the LCA databases ecoinvent9 3.6 and GaBi LCA databases10
– data from operations run by Polestar or Volvo Cars, such as factories and logistics
– LCA of battery modules, performed by our battery suppliers with Polestar’s guidance and
support
Figure 4
IMDS material data per component Data bases containing LCA data
in the BoM representing our vehicle. LCA data bases for a lage variety of materials,
The ~10 000 incoming materials production, logistics, energy
Overview of Polestar LCA way of working. are aggregated into ~70 materials from cradle to material, e.g.
(kg material). wrought aluminium, copper wire.
We call this generic data
Matching (kg CO₂e/kg material).
IMDS material LCA i GaBi Battery module

library supplier data
A variety of internal data such

as emissions from logisitics
and manufacturing per average
vehicle, energy and fuel Internal data Our battery module suppliers
cinsumption, etc. The data have, with our guidance,
provided by international data performed their own LCAs.
owners. (kg CO₂e/battery module)
7 GaBi DfX 2.3 Methodology to define vehicle material composition

http://www.gabi-software.com/
international/software/gabi-dfx/ The Bill of Materials (BoM) is an important component of the LCA and consists of the parts
8 IMDS, www.mdsystem.com used in the vehicle and their respective weights and materials composition. The part number
9 ecoinvent, www.ecoinvent.org vehicle BoM is extracted from the product data management system KDP. However, this BoM
cannot be used as direct input to the LCA-model in GaBi but must be developed and aggre-
10 GaBi LCA databases
http://www.gabi-software.com/ gated in several steps to a suitable material BoM.
databases/gabi-databases/
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Methodology
The material information, except for the Li-ion battery modules, comes from datasheets in
IMDS. A complete vehicle in IMDS consists of about 10,000 different materials. To make the
number of materials manageable in GaBi, they are aggregated to about 70 defined material
categories in a materials library developed by Volvo Cars (IMDS ML).
The part number BoM from KDP is uploaded to the IMDS ML system iPoint Compliance Agent
(iPCA). In iPCA a materials BoM is generated that is imported into IMDS ML where all materi-
als are mapped into Polestar-defined material categories.
In order to have an effective and systematic approach, this mapping is done in an automated
way. The rules to categorise the materials are set up based on IMDS material category,
material name and substance content. It is also possible to manually allocate materials in the
IMDS ML, however, this is done in the most restrictive way possible. For these LCAs, IMDS ML
release 5 is used with the material categories listed in Table 3 For the complete list of material
categories, see “Appendix 3 – complete list of IDMS Material Library material categories”.
Table 3
Material type Number of material categories
Polestar defined material categories in Steel 5

IMDS ML release 5.
Aluminium 1
Magnesium 1
Copper 2
Zinc 1
Lead, battery 1
Neodymium magnets 1
Polymers about 40 (including filled/unfilled)
Natural materials 3
Ceramics and glass 3
Electronics 1
Fluids 10
Undefined 1
The materials BoM from IMDS ML must then be further formatted in order to be imported into
GaBi. A formatting tool is used to apply the format required by GaBi, this step is also automized.
The import to GaBi is made in a specific mapping tool, provided by Sphera, called GaBi-DFX.
In the mapping, each material is connected to a specific Life Cycle Inventory dataset and, if
relevant, a manufacturing process dataset.
For the Li-ion battery modules, specific supplier carbon footprint data was used instead of
IMDS data (see Figure 4). The production of the Li-ion battery modules has a high impact on
the result and consists of complex manufacturing steps.11 Also, the variety and accuracy of
datasets available is limited for Li-ion batteries.
2.4 Goal and scope definition
The goal of the methodology in this study is to be able to evaluate the carbon footprint of
specific Polestar and Volvo Cars models. More specifically, the goal has been to develop
a methodology that can be used to produce carbon footprints on complete vehicles to be
communicated internally and externally. Another goal is to be able to use the complete vehicle
carbon footprints to examine the effects of changes in e.g. material composition, efficiency of
the vehicle or P
olestar manufacturing, or changes in the energy systems.
This methodology follows an attributional approach and is developed considering the

environmental impact global warming potential (GWP) exclusively, and on the detail level of a
complete vehicle.
11 Dai et al., 2019

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Methodology
2.4.1 System boundaries
The performed study is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), but is only considering GHG emis-
sions, a so-called carbon footprint. However, for the tail-pipe emissions from the ICE vehicles,
only carbon dioxide emissions are included and methane and nitrous oxide emissions (CH4
and N2O) are not included. CH4 and N2O contribute to only a minor fraction of the total tailpipe
GHG emissions from a petrol car and exclusion of these emissions is not considered to influ-
ence the conclusions of this study.12
The study includes the vehicle life cycle from cradle-to-grave, starting at extracting and refin-
ing of raw materials and ends at the end-of-life of the vehicle (see Figure 5). Major assump-
tions, uncertainties and cut-offs are described under ”2.4.5 Assumptions and limitations”.
Figure 5 Energy, natural resources
Schematic description of the studied sys- System boundary

tem and its different life cycle phases.
Internal data
Manufacturing
and refining
Use phase
End-of-life
Inbound Outbound
transports transports
Extraction of Transports Transport Use of the

raw materials from Tier 1 from factory car driving.
from earth crust. supplier to to dealer
factory 200 000 km
Refining of raw
materials into
parts bought
by Polestar.
GHG emission
The inventory does not include any processes such as business travel, R&D activities or other
indirect emissions. Nor does it include infrastructure e.g. the production and maintenance of
buildings, inventories or other equipment used in the production, construction and mainte-
nance of roads or electricity grids. Emissions from tires and road wear is not included in the
study. Maintenance of the vehicles is not included in the study due to lack of data.
Generic data, as opposed to supplier-specific data, has been used for most of the upstream
processes, such as raw materials production and manufacturing processes. Thus, there are
steps in some of the manufacturing value chains, specific to vehicle components, that might
not be included. It is likely that these processes are assembly processes at Tier 1 suppliers.
The contribution to the total carbon footprint from these processes is likely to be very small.
The study is performed with a global approach, which means that the generic datasets used
for raw materials production and refining are not specific for any region. Global averages
have been applied as often as possible. The methodology for choosing generic data is further
described in “Appendix 1 – General methodology when choosing datasets for CV Carbon
Footprints”.
2.4.2 Function, functional unit and reference flows
The functional unit defines precisely what is being studied. It defines and quantifies the main
function of the product under study, provides a reference to which the inputs and outputs can
be related, and is the basis for comparing/analysing alternative goods or services.
The functional unit of this study is:

The use of a specific Polestar vehicle driving 200,000 km.
The results are being presented as kg CO2-equivalents per functional unit.
12 Analysis of GaBi data for passenger car,
EURO 6.
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Methodology
2.4.3 Allocations
We have allocated 100% of total emissions from scrap to the vehicles. That means that, for
example, the produced amount of steel and aluminum included in the carbon footprint calcu-
lation does not only include the amount of material in the vehicle, but also the scrap produced
throughout the whole manufacturing chain.
More specifically, the methodology uses the cut-off approach, which is the recommended
method according to the EPD13 system. This method follows the “polluters pay principle”
meaning that if there are several product systems sharing the same material, the product
causing the waste shall carry environmental impact. This means that the system boundary is
specified to occur at the point of “lowest market value”. However, if the material does not go to
a new product system, the final disposal is included within the life cycle of the vehicle.
2.4.4 System expansion
No system expansion has been applied in this study, i.e. no credits have been given for e.g.
materials being recycled and offsetting other material production, or for energy generated in
waste incineration offsetting other energy production.
2.4.5 Assumptions and limitations
In general, assumptions have been made in a conservative fashion following the precau-
tionary principle, in order to not underestimate the impact from unknown data. Additional
processes have been added to the model when judged needed to more accurately represent
actual emissions.
This study does not include impact from charging or fuel infrastructure which means that the
differences from car-to-car will be assessed. It does not include changes in these systems nor
take rebound effects into consideration.
Carbon footprints developed using this methodology should not be broken down to the
component level without reassuring that an acceptable level of detail is also reached on the
studied sub-system.
13 https://www.environdec.com/
The-International-EPD-System/
General-Programme-Instructions/
—
Life cycle inventory analysis
3 Life cycle inventory analysis 3.1 Material production and refining
Material production and refining (see Figure 5) is based on a Bill of Materials (BoM) containing
material composition and material weight. The BoM used for modelling in GaBi is specifically
developed to be used for the LCA modelling in GaBi and states the composition of the vehicle
based on about 70 material categories. The total weight of the vehicle is divided into these
material categories.
In GaBi each material has been coupled with one or several datasets (containing LCI-data)
representing the production and refining of the material in each specific material category.
See Appendix 2 – Chosen datasets.
The material production and refining is modelled using datasets from GaBi Professional
database and ecoinvent 3.6 data. The datasets have been chosen according to the Polestar
methodology for choosing generic datasets, the methodology can be found in Appendix 1. For
some raw materials there were no datasets representing the exact materials, these are listed
in Appendix 2 together with the assumptions made.
The material content corresponding to the entire weight of the vehicle is included in the LCA,
but for the different vehicles a small amount of materials has been categorised as “undefined
material” in the material library. Table 4 shows the share of undefined material of the total
vehicle weight (including battery modules) for each vehicle. Since the undefined category
seems to contain mostly undefined polymers, a dataset for Polyamide (Nylon 6) has been used
as approximation. This assumption is based on the fact that Polyamide is the polymer with the
highest Carbon Footprint, out of the polymer data used in the LCA.
Table 4
Vehicle Share of undefined material
Share of undefined material in the different Polestar 2 1.4 %

vehicles.
XC40 ICE 1.5 %
All filled polymers have been assumed to contain 81% polymer, 11% glass fibre and 8% talc
representing an average of filled polymers as reported in IMDS.
In most cases, datasets that include both production of raw material as well as component
manufacturing ready to be assembled in the vehicle are not available. Therefore, several
datasets representing the refining and production of parts have been used for most material
categories. The datasets used to represent further refining and manufacturing of parts are
listed in Appendix 4.
For most database datasets representing materials production and refining processes it has
not been possible to modify the electricity, i.e. the built-in electricity has been used.
3.1.1 Aluminium production and refining
The share of aluminium that is cast aluminium and wrought aluminium has been assumed
to be 59% cast aluminium and 41% wrought aluminium. This is based on the report “Alumin-
ium content in European passenger cars”.14 All wrought aluminium has been assumed to go
through the process of making aluminium sheets. The assumption of wrought aluminium
being aluminium sheets is a conservative assumption, since sheet production has a higher
amount of scrap than most other wrought processes. The cast aluminium goes through a
process for die-casting aluminium.
The scrap produced in the processes of making the aluminium parts for the car is included
in the Carbon Footprint, and since a cut-off is applied at the point of scrap being produced in
the factory, the total footprint of producing the scrap is allocated to the car even though the
aluminium scrap is sent to recycling and used in other products. The material utilisation rate
for the manufacturing processes of both cast aluminium and wrought aluminium can be seen
in Appendix 4.
14 https://www.european-aluminium.eu/
media/2802/aluminum-content-in-
european-cars_european-aluminium_
public-summary_101019-1.pdf
—
3.1.2 Steel production and refining
The raw material dataset used for the material category “unalloyed steel” has an output of
rolled and galvanised steel. A processing process has then been added to all steel. Which
processing process has been chosen depends on whether the steel is stamped in the factory
or not. Hence, the steel categorised as unalloyed steel in the material library has been divided
into two sub-groups depending on the manufacturing process following the rolling and galva-
nising of the steel:
1 The steel that is processed and stamped in the factory. The Material Utilisation Degree is
according to Volvo Cars data.
2 The rest of the steel, which is distributed in various components of the car. The Material
Utilisation Degree is according to the chosen database dataset, i.e. literature value.
The scrap produced in the processes of making the steel parts for the car, independent of pro-
cesses, is included in the Carbon Footprint, and the same cut-off as for aluminium is applied.
The material utilisation rate for the manufacturing processes of steel processed at Volvo Cars
and steel processed at suppliers can be seen in Appendix 4.
3.1.3 Electronics production and refining
The material category called “electronics” includes printed circuit boards (PCB) and the com-
ponents mounted on them. It does not include chassis, cables or other parts that are present
in electronic components. All materials that are used in electronic devices that are not PCBs
have been sorted into other categories, such as copper or different types of polymers.
For the category “electronics” a generic data set from ecoinvent 3.6 has been used. This data-
set represents the production of lead-free, mounted PCBs.
3.1.4 Plastics production and refining
For polymer materials, an injection moulding process has been used to represent the
processing of plastic parts from a polymer raw material. The material utilisation rate for the
manufacturing processes of plastics can be seen in Appendix 4 .
3.1.5 Minor material categories, production and refining
There are raw materials for which data on processing is missing in the LCA-databases. In
those cases, the material weight was doubled as an estimation for the processing. This means
that the processing process is assumed to have the same carbon footprint as the production
of the raw material itself. This has been applied only for minor materials (by weight).
3.1.6 Electricity use in materials production and refining
The electricity mix used in the manufacturing processes in the supply chain is based on the
locations of the production facilities. As a basis for calculation it is assumed that a large part
of the materials in the vehicle are sourced on the same continent where the production takes
place. Although the general methodology for choosing datasets takes on a global perspective
where the sourcing region is not considered, an electricity mix that is based on a larger volume
of cars produced in each region for one year has been compiled to better represent reality.
Hence, Volvo Cars data has been used to set the electricity mix. This electricity mix is not for
any specific Volvo Cars model, but for Volvo Cars vehicles as a whole on a global level. The
number of produced Volvo Cars vehicles in 2019 is presented in Table 5.
—
Table 5 2019 produced cars Share
Europe 484236 69 %
Produced Volvo vehicles in 2019
Asia 185640 26 %
Americas 35160 5%
Total 705036 100 %
Based on these figures the supply chain manufacturing processes electricity mix consists of
69% EU-28 average electricity mix, 26% Chinese average electricity mix and 5% US average
electricity mix. This electricity mix is only used for a few partially aggregated processes in the
GaBi databases where it is possible to add an electricity mix by choice.
3.2 Battery modules
A BEV battery pack consists of a carrier, battery management system, cooling system, bus-
bars, cell modules, thermal barriers, manual service disconnect and a lid. Polestar purchases
cell modules from CATL and LG Chem, who, in collaboration with the report author, performed
cradle-to-gate (up until Polestar logistics take over) carbon footprint LCAs of their cell mod-
ules. The cell modules have therefore been removed from the BoM based on IMDS data, and
are modelled separately in the Complete Vehicle LCA. All other parts of the battery pack are
included in the materials BoM, based on IMDS data.
3.3 Manufacturing and logistics
3.3.1 Logistics
Volvo Cars data has been used to calculate GHG emissions for transports from Tier 1 suppliers
to the manufacturing site (inbound transport). Volvo Cars’ total emissions from inbound trans-
ports divided by the total number of Volvo Cars vehicles produced during the same year has
been applied. Volvo Cars data has also been used to calculate GHG emissions for transports
from the manufacturing site to customer handover (outbound transport). Volvo Cars’ total
emissions from transports of Volvo Cars vehicles from Volvo Cars manufacturing sites to
Volvo Cars dealers divided by the total number of Volvo Cars vehicles sold during the same
year has been applied.
3.3.2 Manufacturing
GHG emissions from electricity usage, heat usage and use of different fuels in each of the
factories was calculated using site-specific input data. The GHG emissions per vehicle were
then calculated by dividing the total GHG emissions from the factory by the total amount of
produced vehicles or engines from that factory during the same year.
Polestar 2 is only produced in Luqiao. XC40 ICE is produced in both Luqiao and Ghent and the
emissions have been calculated in proportion to the number of cars produced in each factory
during 2019.
3.4 Use phase
To be able to calculate the emissions in the use phase of the car, the distance driven is needed
together with the tailpipe emissions per driven kilometer and the well-to-tank emissions from
fuel and electricity production.
The vehicle lifetime driving distance for Polestar vehicles has been set to 200,000 km, which is
also the functional unit in this study.
15 The processes that use the special

electricity mix are cast iron production,
rubber vulcanization and five additional
manufacturing processes.
—
The fuel and energy-related GHG emissions associated with the actual driving of the car are
divided into two categories:
– Well-to-tank (WTT) – Includes the environmental impact caused during production and
distribution of the of the fuel or electricity used. The fuel used in the ICE is assumed to
be gasoline blended with 5% ethanol. Production-related emissions from both fuels are
included. Electricity production is modelled according to regional (global or EU28) grid mix
or as a specific energy source (wind)16.
– Tank-to-wheel (TTW) – Includes the tailpipe emissions during use. This is zero for Polestar 2
and assumed to be 163g CO2/km for the XC40 ICE (based on an average of XC40 ICE petrol
vehicles).
The TTW emission data for the XC40 ICE was based on the WLTP driving cycle (Worldwide
Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure used for certification of vehicles in EU). WLTP data
was also used for obtaining energy consumption figures for the Polestar 2. Losses during
charging are included in the electricity use of the BEV. The electricity use for Polestar 2 used in
this study was 198 Wh/km.
3.5 End-of-life of the vehicle
3.5.1 Process description
It is assumed that all vehicles, at their end-of-life, are collected and sent to end-of-life treatment.
The same methodology as described in Chapter 2.4.3 Allocations is applied. Focusing on the
point of lowest market value, according to the polluter pays principle, implies inclusion of steps
like dismantling and pre-treatment (like shredding and specific component pre-treatment),
but it does not include material separation, refining, or any credit for reuse in another product
system.
The end-of-life was modelled to represent global average situations as far as possible. The han-
dling consists of a disassembly step to remove hazardous components and components that
are candidates for specific recycling efforts. After this the disassembled parts are treated, and
the remaining vehicle is shredded. According to material type the resulting fractions go either
to material recycling, incineration or landfill. Figure 6 gives an overview of the entire stage.
Figure 6
Disassembled Boundary with
Disassembly parts cut-off approach
End-of-life boundaries
Treatment of Material recycling
disassembled
parts
Metallic materials
Combustible
materials
Shredding Incineration
Landfill
Remaining Non-combustible
vehicle materials
In the disassembly stage, hazardous and/or valuable components are removed from the
vehicle including:
16 The data on WTT emissions for – batteries, fuel, wheels, tyres

electricity used in BEVs comes from the – liquids: coolants, antifreeze, brake fluid, air-conditioning gas, shock absorber fluid and
GaBi professional data base and can be
chosen either as country grid mixes or for a windscreen wash
specific energy source. – oils: engine, gearbox, transmission and hydraulic oils
—
– oil filters
– catalytic converter
– airbags and seat belt pretensioners removed or set off
From a global perspective, the treatment of fuels, oils and coolant generally implies incinera-
tion. The tyres are assumed to be salvaged for rubber recovery, and the lead batteries for lead
recovery. The catalytic converter contains valuable metals and is disassembled for further
recycling efforts. Oil filters are assumed to be incinerated, as are airbags and seat belt preten-
sioners, which are disassembled for safety reasons rather than the potential recycling value.
The Li-ion battery is assumed to be taken out of the car and sent to recycling.
All other parts of the vehicle are sent to shredding. In this process, the materials in the vehicle
are shredded and then divided into fractions, depending on different physical and magnetic
properties. Typical fractions are
– ferrous metals (steel, cast iron, etc.)

– non-ferrous metals (stainless steel, aluminium, copper, etc.)
– shredder light fraction (plastics, ceramics, etc.)
The metal fractions can be sent for further refining and, in the end, material recycling. The
combustible part of the light fraction can be incinerated for energy, or the entire fraction can
end up in a landfill. For the purposes of this study, it is assumed the combustible streams of
materials are incinerated, while the non-combustible materials are landfilled.
Due to the global focus of the study, no energy recovery is included for the incineration steps,
even though in some Polestar markets, there is indeed energy recovery from incineration of
waste. This somewhat conservative assumption has been made due to the fact that there are
many markets with no energy recovery, and data on how common the case with energy recov-
ery is for the combustible streams is unknown. Assessment of material losses after shredding
and in refining are outside the system boundaries set by the cut-off approach.
—
Results for Polestar 2
4 Results for Polestar 2 4.1 Polestar 2 compared to XC40 ICE (petrol)
When looking at the results for the Polestar 2 life cycle (see figure 13 and table 9) the choice of
electricity mix in the use phase has a large impact on the total Carbon Footprint. With a global
electricity mix, the Polestar 2 has a smaller carbon footprint than the XC40 ICE, and with the
wind power mix the reduction is more than 50% compared to the XC40 ICE.
Another interesting point to note regarding the materials production and refining phase is
that the Polestar 2 has an approximately 20% higher carbon footprint than the XC40 ICE,
mainly due to the higher weight of the Polestar 2 and larger share of aluminium and weight
of electronics. The most significant addition, however, is that of the Li-ion battery. If this is
included in the materials production category, the increase in carbon footprint is around 70%.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that this increase is smaller than the decrease found
in the use phase for all three electricity mixes.
The results of the LCAs give an interesting insight into a potential future shift of which life cycle
phase is the most dominant. When comparing the Polestar 2 driven with wind electricity to the
XC40 ICE, dominance is shifted from the use phase to the production phase.
Manufacturing and end-of-life treatment only give a small contribution to the life cycle.
Figure 7
Tonne XC40 Polestar 2 Polestar 2 Polestar 2
CO₂e ICE Global electricity mix European electricity mix Wind power
Carbon footprint for Polestar 2 and XC40
58
ICE, with different electricity mixes in the
use phase used for Polestar 2. Results are
shown in tonne CO2-equivalents per func-
50
tional unit (200,000 km lifetime range).
60
n
n
n
Li-ion battery modules
Manufacturing
50
42
27
n Use phase 40
n End-of-life
30
20
10
Table 6
Materials Li-ion Manu Use phase End-of-life Total
production battery facturing
Carbon footprint for Polestar 2 and XC40 modules
ICE, with different electricity mixes used
in the use phase for Polestar 2. Results XC40 ICE 14 0 2.1 41 0.6 58
are shown in tonne CO2-equivalents per
functional unit. Polestar 2 – global 17 7 2.2 23 0.5 50
electricity mix
Polestar 2 – european 17 7 2.2 15 0.5 42

(EU28) electricity mix
Polestar 2 – wind power 17 7 2.2 0.4 0.5 27

—
Figure 8 and Table 7 below show the total amount of GHG emissions, depending on total kilo-
metres driven, from Polestar 2 (with different electricity mixes in the use phase in the diagram)
and a XC40 ICE. Where the lines cross, break-even between the two vehicles occurs.
Figure 8
Tonne
CO₂e
Total cumulated amount of GHGs emitted,
depending on total kilometres driven, from 60
Polestar 2 (with different electricity mixes in the
diagram) from XC40 ICE. The functional unit for
the LCA is “The use of a specific Polestar vehicle 50
driving 200,000 km”.
n XC40 ICE 40
n Polestar 2 – global electricity mix
n Polestar 2 – european (EU28) electricity mix
n Polestar 2 – wind power 30
20
10
LCA 20' 40' 60' 80' 100' 120' 140' 160' 180' 200' Use phase (km)
excluding
use
Electric mix Break-even (km)

Table 7
Polestar 2 – global electricity mix / XC40 ICE 112 000

Number of kilometres driven at break-even
between Polestar 2 with different electricity Polestar 2 – european (EU28) electricity mix / XC40 ICE 78 000
mixes in the use phase XC40 ICE (petrol).
Polestar 2 – wind power / XC40 ICE 50 000
—
The main difference between the Polestar 2 and the XC40 ICE is the Li-ion battery, this can be
seen in Figure 9 and Figure 10. As for the ICE, aluminium and steel/iron are still important, as
are electronics and polymers.
Figure 9
17% 10%
Steel and iron Electronics
Contribution from different material groups
to the carbon footprint from “Materials
production and refining” for Polestar 2.
7%
Polymers
3%
Fluids and
undefined
1%
29% Other metals
Li-ion battery Copper
modules Natural materials
Tyres
Glass
29%
Aluminium
Figure 10
13%
Electronics
Contribution from different material groups
to the carbon footprint from “Materials
production and refining” for a XC40 ICE.
11%
Polymers
4%
Fluids and
undefined
1%
34% Tyres
Natural materials
Steel and iron
Other metals
Copper
0%
Glass
34%
Aluminium
—
Discussion
5 Discussion Using LCA for assessing the carbon footprint of cars gives insights into both the relative con-
tribution to the carbon footprint from different life-cycle phases (see Figure 5) as well as the
underlying causes for the emissions. In turn, these insights can be used to guide efforts into
understanding and reducing the emissions. The comparison between the Polestar 2 and the
XC40 ICE shows the differences and similarities between BEV technology and ICE technol-
ogy, and the potential current benefits of electrification as well as the future potential of BEVs.
Testing alternative electricity mixes for the Polestar 2 in the use phase shows that the elec-
tricity source stands out as a crucial factor in determining the total life cycle Carbon Footprint.
As stated in Chapter 4, a Polestar 2 run on wind power has only half the carbon footprint com-
pared to the XC40 ICE over 200,000 kilometers. As the global predictions for the electricity
market point to further reduced Carbon Footprints of electricity production on all markets, it
indicates a continuous reduction of the BEVs’ Carbon Footprints even if no active choice of
using renewable energy in the use phase is made.
The choice of electricity source in the use phase will also determine which life cycle phase is
most dominant in the result. When considering a global average electricity mix, the life cycle
impact is split 50/50 between the materials production and refining stages and the use phase
(Table 7). In contrast, a choice of wind-based electricity gives a life cycle carbon footprint that
is significantly lower compared to driving with european or global mixes, and consequently
the materials production and refining phase becomes dominating. This will shift the focus
more to the materials production and refining phase and further emphasize the importance of
efforts to reduce the carbon footprint in this phase.
When considering the materials production and refining phase and comparing the result of
the Polestar 2 to the results of the XC40 ICE, the Polestar 2 has a higher Carbon Footprint. This
is mainly due to the addition of the Li-Ion battery. This increase in emissions is compensated
by a lower carbon footprint in the use phase, resulting in a lower total Carbon Footprint. Fur-
ther improvements in the materials production and refining phase will result in an even further
reduced total Carbon Footprint.
BEV driveline technology is still young compared to the ICE driveline, implying a relatively
higher potential of improvements. Recent studies have shown a general decrease in carbon
footprint of battery production over recent years, and it is a probable expectation that it will
continue decreasing in the future. Other material-related improvements are also probable and
beneficial, and since BEVs and ICEs share many bulk materials (aluminum, steel, plastics) as
well as electronic components, the effects of these improvements will result more in a lower
total carbon footprint of both vehicles, and less of an increase of the difference between them.
Production of steel and aluminum has a relatively large contribution to the total Carbon
Footprint, comprising 20% of the total carbon footprint when a global energy mix is used in
the use phase. The Li-ion battery modules stand for almost 15% and electronics and plastics
for almost 5% each. Thus, efforts to reduce the impact from these materials, for example
with increased use of recycled content and more renewable energy during production, is
also an important part of reducing the Carbon Footprint.
As long as the Polestar 2 has a higher carbon footprint from the materials production and
refining phase than the XC40 ICE, the question of break-even will remain. At what distance
will the GHG emissions of the materials production and refining be outweighed by lower
emissions in the use phase? This study shows a break-even point of almost 50,000 km for the
wind-powered Polestar 2, significantly below the driving distance of 200,000 km used as func-
tional unit. When considering a global average electricity mix, the break-even point is at about
112,000 km for Polestar 2, also below the 200,000 km mark. After the break-even points, the
global warming related benefits of the Polestar 2 compared to the XC40 ICE increase linearly
for the rest of the life cycle. This also means that the longer the lifetime, the lower the carbon
footprint of the Polestar 2 compared to the XC40 ICE.
5.1 Qualitative sensitivity analysis
The combination of the chosen allocation method and the chosen background datasets results
in a relatively high carbon footprint for the Polestar 2 compared to other studies. The choice of the
allocation method resulted in all GHG emissions from producing scrap being allocated to the cars
17 https://greet.es.anl.gov and all GHG emissions from waste in the end-of-life treatment being allocated to the cars even if
—
Discussion
the material is recycled. In LCA it is important that the methodology is followed consistently, and
in this case the same method should be applied in the same manner to scrap flowing from other
product systems into production of metals used in Polestar’s cars. It is unclear whether the same
method has been applied in all of the background datasets that have been used to represent
metal production or not, and might have resulted in an overestimation of the Carbon Footprint.
This discussion is not only valid for scrap and metals, but for all materials used in the study.
Furthermore, the metal production datasets that have been used are average data, and fur-
ther investigation is needed to assess to what extent data differs from Polestar’s actual supply
network. There are indications that Polestar’s suppliers, in some cases, perform significantly
better than the average global production, which is another indication that the results may be
overestimated.
5.2 Possible future work
In this study, many new ideas and suggestions for improvements have been identified.
Further investigation and selection of database/literature data would improve the quality of
the study, e.g. in order to verify that the methodology is applied consistently. This has proven
to be especially important regarding steel and aluminium recycling. Selection of database/
literature data could be refined, e.g. in order to further distinguish between different wrought
manufacturing processes.
Since production of PCBs has a relatively high carbon footprint per mass unit compared to
other vehicle components, there is a need to investigate this category further in the future, and
possibly find data more representative for the specific applications in Polestar’s cars.
More supplier specific data and more site-specific data would further improve the accuracy
and precision of the results. This would require even deeper collaboration with suppliers (Tier
1 and Tier 2+). The results from this study could be used as a basis for prioritising the work, e.g.
starting with the material category with the highest Carbon Footprint. Regarding the battery,
it could be seen that the accuracy of the result was higher when using data obtained directly
from the suppliers rather than using IMDS data. Given the relatively large carbon footprint
from the battery, increased collaboration with battery suppliers should be prioritised.
Tailpipe emissions of methane and nitrous oxide could also be included in the future.
Infrastructure could also be included in the future to further complete the results. It would be
interesting to include maintenance of cars in the use phase, especially for assessing possible
differences between the carbon footprint of maintenance for BEVs and ICEs. Maintenance
is also relevant to incluce in order to ensure avoidance of sub-optimisations by e.g. reducing
carbon footprint in the materials production and refining phase but increasing it in the use
phase. Relevant aspects could be e.g. leakage of AC fluids, change of tyres, change of other
parts that may break, etc. Including maintenance of Li-ion battery modules would result in a
more complete comparison between BEVs and ICEs.
Polestar has ambitious sustainability goals. Therefore, future LCA results will be even more
linked to these goals for the internal work to be more coordinated.
The methodology will be continuously developed and improved as new vehicle models are
assessed and as more knowledge about supply chains and suppliers is accumulated.
Standardisation of methodology for performing Carbon Footprints of cars would increase the
transparency, by making it easier to compare the results between different studies.
The use of new technologies, e.g. blockchain/cryptocurrency, could prove beneficial for
further improving data quality.
Future scenario analyses will be performed to better assess the potential of different technol-
ogies and will be used for strategy development on how to reach Polestar’s climate targets.
The scope of the methodology could be expanded to include more impact categories, e.g.
biodiversity, social performance, cumulative energy demand, etc.
—
Conclusions
6 Conclusions In this study, the carbon footprints of Polestar 2 and XC40 ICE have been calculated, including
all life cycle phases, i.e. materials production and refining, manufacturing, use phase and end-
of-life (see Figure 5).
LCA, which has been identified by the EU Commission as the best framework for assessing
the environmental performance of products, has been used. LCA is well suited for assessing
improvements in the whole supply chain and avoiding sub-optimization, i.e. decreasing the
environmental impact in one step while increasing it in another step.
According to the methodology described in this report, the carbon footprint of a Polestar 2 and
an XC40 ICE is 58 tonne CO2e and 27–50 tonne CO2e respectively. The reason for the interval in
the result of the Polestar 2 is because different electricity mixes with varying carbon intensity
in the use phase have been tested. The width of the interval clearly shows the impact the
choice of electricity mix has on the end result.
The Polestar 2, and BEVs in general, can have even lower Carbon Footprints in the near future
because of potential improvements in battery technology, vehicle-energy efficiency and in the
energy systems.
Break-even analysis has been performed, identifying at what driving distance the Carbon
Footprints of the Polestar 2 and the XC40 ICE break even when alternating the electricity mix.
The analysis shows that all break-even points for the tested electricity mixes occur within the
used driving distance of 200,000 km. After the break-even point the carbon footprint of the
Polestar 2 improves linearly compared to the XC40 ICE, i.e. the longer the lifetime the better
the relative carbon footprint of the Polestar 2.
LCA and the underlying methodology will be used as the metrics for assessing the carbon
footprint of Polestar cars. LCAs will be performed regularly and serve as the framework for
guiding the GHG reduction related activities, applying a product perspective. The methodol-
ogy, practice, data collection procedures etc. will be continuously developed.
The methodological choices, such as a choice of allocation method, have a high impact on
the end result. Changing the methodology might lead to other conclusions, e.g. there will be a
larger focus on the end-of-life phase since the carbon footprint of waste is allocated to other
product systems when it is recycled. The methodology needs to be further improved in order
to reach a stability of results over time and to increase the quality of conclusions, e.g. further
develop allocation methods, include infrastructure and maintenance, increase data quality, etc.
It should be noted that a BEV sold on a market with carbon-intensive electricity production can
nevertheless be charged with electricity from renewable energy, which would decrease the
carbon footprint substantially. Furthermore, the results assume a constant carbon intensity
throughout the vehicle lifetime which is likely to overestimate the total Carbon Footprint.
—
Appendix 1
Appendix 1 – General method- This methodology applies when determining the global Carbon Footprints of Polestar cars.
ology when choosing datasets
for complete vehicle carbon For most of the raw materials in our cars, as well as the manufacturing processes taking place
footprints outside our own manufacturing sites, data from LCA databases is used as source for the
environmental impact. In order to be able to choose datasets in a consistent and relevant way,
the following methodology has been developed.
Disclaimer
– When choosing datasets for an LCA assessing environmental impacts other than global
warming potential, this methodology should not be used.
– When choosing datasets for a carbon footprint representing a specific region this method-
ology should not be used.
Things to consider when choosing datasets
Datasets in the GaBi-professional database and the ecoinvent database representing specific
raw materials differ in several ways, stated in the documentation of the dataset:
– Region – All datasets represent a specific region, e.g. Global, EU, Asia, specific countries
or other.
– Data source – Some datasets are produced by branch organisations, some by the data
provider itself. We do not value any data source higher than any other.
– Date – All datasets contain information regarding when the dataset was created and for
how long it is assumed to be representative. Avoid using a very old dataset if there are other
options. If there is a pressing reason need to use old data, perform a validity check in order
to determine that the dataset is relevant.
Apart from this information, documented in the actual dataset, there are several other aspects
that should be considered. When choosing datasets, use the method below and consider all
the aspects stated within.
Checklist for choosing datasets
When choosing which generic datasets for raw materials to use in the carbon footprints of
Polestar cars, this general method is used:
1 Search for the specific raw material
– If there is no dataset available for the specific raw material, read under the header “No data-
set available for the specific raw material” at the end of this Appendix.
– If there is only one dataset representing the specific raw material, this dataset should be
used.
– However, there are often several datasets representing the specific raw material. In those
cases, adhere to the steps below.
2 What is the effect of this choice of data on the whole carbon footprint?
– Do not put too much effort into investigating the different datasets if the raw material consti-
tutes a very minor part of the whole vehicle.
– Use the materials list for the vehicle, ranked by weight, in order to get an understanding of
how big or small the effect of choosing this dataset is.
– Consider the total carbon footprint (carbon footprint for the dataset * total weight of the
material in the vehicle) for the material when determining the effort investigating the differ-
ent datasets.
—
Appendix 1
3 Comparing the global warming potential
Compare the global warming potential for the different datasets. Often, they have a similar
value, but sometimes the difference can be quite significant. If the dataset you end up choos-
ing differs significantly from the others, try to get an understanding of why and if this big differ-
ence is reasonable or not. If a dataset with significantly different global warming potential was
selected, a motivation as to why this dataset was chosen must be provided.
4 Chose data that represents as many markets as possible
If there is a global (GLO) dataset use this one, if not use “Rest of world” (RoW). If that is not
available use a European dataset (RER, EU-28). As a last option use datasets representing
specific countries. If a non-global dataset was selected, a motivation to why this dataset has
been chosen has to be given specifically.
No dataset available for the specific raw material
– If there is no dataset available for the exact material, consult an expert on the specific mate-
rial within the organization in order to be able to choose the dataset that can best represent it.
– In these cases, an explanation as to why this dataset was chosen must be provided.
—
Appendix 2
Appendix 2 – Chosen datasets
Material Location Name Type Source Date used
ABS GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
ABS (filled) GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
ABS (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
ABS (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
ABS (unfilled) GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
AdBlue EU-28 urea (46% N) agg Fertilizers 2020-04-20

Europe
AdBlue EU-28 tap water from surface water agg ts 2020-04-20
Aluminium, cast (matcat) GLO aluminium ingot mix IAI 2015 agg IAI/ts 2020-04-20
Aluminium, wrought (matcat) GLO aluminium ingot mix IAI 2015 agg IAI/ts 2020-04-20
ASA GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
ASA (filled) GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
ASA (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
ASA (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
ASA (unfilled) GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Brake fluid GLO market for diethylene glycol agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-05-19
Cast iron (matcat) DE cast iron part (automotive) – open energy inputs p-agg ts 2020-04-20
Catalytic coating ZA market for platinum group metal concentrate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-06-01
Copper EU-28 copper wire mix (Europe 2015) agg DKI/ECI 2020-04-20
Copper alloys GLO copper mix (99.999% from electrolysis) agg ts 2020-04-20
Copper alloys GLO market for zinc agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Cotton GLO market for textile, woven cotton agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Damper RER polymethylmethacrylate sheet (PMMA) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-04-20
Damper RoW market for lime agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Diesel EU-28 diesel mix at filling station agg ts 2020-04-20
E/P RoW polyethylene production, low density, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
—
Appendix 2
E/P (filled) RoW polyethylene production, low density, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
E/P (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
E/P (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
E/P (unfilled) RoW polyethylene production, low density, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Electronics GLO market for printed wiring board, surface mounted, agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-05-26
unspecified, Pb containing
EPDM DE Ethylene Propylene Diene Elastomer (EPDM) agg ts 2020-04-20
Epoxy RoW market for epoxy resin, liquid agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
EVAC RoW market for ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
EVAC (filled) RoW market for ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
EVAC (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
EVAC (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
EVAC (unfilled) RoW market for ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Ferrite magnet GLO market for ferrite agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-24
Filled Thermoplastics (matcat) RoW market for nylon 6 agg ecoinvent 3.6 43941
Filled Thermoplastics (matcat) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 43941
Filled Thermoplastics (matcat) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 43941
Float glass EU-28 float flat glass agg ts 2020-04-20
Glycol EU-28 Ethylene glycol agg PlasticsEurope 2020-01-01
Lead, battery DE lead (99.995%) agg ts 2020-04-20
Leather DE cattle hide, fresh, from slaughterhouse (economic agg ts 2020-04-20

allocation)
Leather DE leather (varnished; 1 sqm/0.95 kg) – open input cattle p-agg ts 2020-04-20
hide
Lubricants (matcat) EU-28 lubricants at refinery agg ts 2020-04-20
Magnesium CN Magnesium agg ts 2020-04-20
NdFeB GLO market for permanent magnet, electric passenger car agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-24
motor
NR DE Natural Rubber (NR) agg ts 2020-04-20
PA RoW market for nylon 6 agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20

—
Appendix 2
PA (filled) RoW market for nylon 6 agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PA (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PA (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PA (unfilled) RoW market for nylon 6 agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PBT DE Polybutylene Terephthalate Granulate (PBT) Mix agg ts 2020-04-20
PBT (filled) DE Polybutylene Terephthalate Granulate (PBT) Mix agg ts 2020-04-20
PBT (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PBT (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PBT (unfilled) DE Polybutylene Terephthalate Granulate (PBT) Mix agg ts 2020-04-20
PC GLO market for polycarbonate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC (filled) GLO market for polycarbonate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PC (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC (unfilled) GLO market for polycarbonate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS GLO market for polycarbonate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS (filled) GLO market for polycarbonate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS (filled) GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PC+ABS (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS (unfilled) GLO market for polycarbonate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PC+ABS (unfilled) GLO market for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PE RoW polyethylene production, low density, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PE (filled) RoW polyethylene production, low density, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PE (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PE (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PE (unfilled) RoW polyethylene production, low density, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PET GLO market for polyethylene terephthalate, granulate, agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
amorphous
PET (filled) GLO market for polyethylene terephthalate, granulate, agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
amorphous
PET (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PET (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
—
Appendix 2
PET (unfilled) GLO market for polyethylene terephthalate, granulate, agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
amorphous
Petrol EU-28 gasoline mix (regular) at refinery agg ts 2020-04-20
PMMA RER Polymethylmethacrylate sheet (PMMA) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-04-20
PMMA (filled) RER Polymethylmethacrylate sheet (PMMA) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-04-20
PMMA (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PMMA (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PMMA (unfilled) RER Polymethylmethacrylate sheet (PMMA) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-04-20
Polyurethane (matcat) RoW market for polyurethane, rigid foam agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
POM EU-28 Polyoxymethylene (POM) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-01-01
POM (filled) EU-28 Polyoxymethylene (POM) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-01-01
POM (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
POM (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
POM (unfilled) EU-28 Polyoxymethylene (POM) agg PlasticsEurope 2020-01-01
PP GLO market for polypropylene, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PP (filled) GLO market for polypropylene, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PP (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PP (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PP (unfilled) GLO market for polypropylene, granulate agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PS GLO market for polystyrene, general purpose agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PS (filled) GLO market for polystyrene, general purpose agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PS (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PS (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PS (unfilled) GLO market for polystyrene, general purpose agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PVB DE Polyvinyl butyral granulate (PVB) by-product ethyl agg ts 2020-04-20

acetate
PVB (filled) DE Polyvinyl butyral granulate (PVB) by-product ethyl agg ts 2020-04-20
acetate
PVB (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PVB (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PVB (unfilled) DE Polyvinyl butyral granulate (PVB) by-product ethyl agg ts 2020-04-20
acetate
—
Appendix 2
PVC RoW polyvinylchloride production, suspension polymeri- agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
sation
PVC (filled) RoW polyvinylchloride production, suspension polymeri- agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
sation
PVC (filled) EU-28 talcum powder (filler) agg ts 2020-04-20
PVC (filled) GLO market for glass fibre agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
PVC (unfilled) RoW polyvinylchloride production, suspension polymeri- agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
sation
R-1234yf R-123yf u-so 43943
R-134a GLO market for refrigerant R134a agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
SBR DE Styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) mix agg ts 2020-04-20
Silicone rubber DE Silicone rubber (RTV-2, condensation) agg ts 2020-04-20
Steel, Sintered GLO steel hot dip galvanised agg worldsteel 2020-04-20
Steel, Stainless, Austenitic EU-28 Stainless steel

cold rolled coil
(304) Eurofer
<p-agg>
Steel, Stainless, Austenitic EU-28 stainless steel cold rolled coil (304) p-agg Eurofer 2020-04-20
Steel, Stainless, Ferritic EU-28 Stainless steel

cold rolled coil
(430) Eurofer
<p-agg>
Steel, Stainless, Ferritic EU-28 stainless steel cold rolled coil (430) p-agg Eurofer 2020-04-20
Steel, Unalloyed GLO Steel finished

cold rolled coil
worldsteel
Steel, Unalloyed GLO steel hot dip galvanised agg worldsteel 2020-04-20
Sulphuric acid EU-28 Sulphuric acid (96%) agg ts 2020-04-20
Thermoplastic elastomers (matcat) DE Polypropylene / Ethylene Propylene Diene Elastomer agg ts 43941
Granulate (PP/EPDM, TPE-O) Mix
Thermoplastics (matcat) RoW market for nylon 6 agg ecoinvent 3.6 2020-04-20
Tyre DE Styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) mix agg ts 43941
Tyre EU-28 water (deionised) agg ts 43941
Tyre GLO vulcanisation of synthetic rubber (without additives) u-so ts 43831
Undefined RoW market for nylon 6 agg ecoinvent 3.6 43941
Unfilled Thermoplastics (matcat) DE Polypropylene / Ethylene Propylene Diene Elastomer agg ts 43941
Granulate (PP/EPDM, TPE-O) Mix
Washer fluid DE Ethanol agg ts 2020-04-20

—
Appendix 2
Wood (paper, cellulose ...) EU-28 laminated veneer lumber (EN15804 A1-A3) agg ts 2020-04-20
Zinc GLO Special high grade zinc p-agg IZA 2020-04-20
Aluminium, manufacturing (DE, EU-28)
Aluminium, manufacturing (DE, EU-28) DE aluminium die-cast part u-so ts 2020-01-01
Aluminium, manufacturing (DE, EU-28) EU-28 aluminium sheet – open input aluminium rolling ingot p-agg ts 2020-04-20
Aluminium, manufacturing (DE, EU-28) DE aluminium sheet deep drawing u-so ts 2020-01-01
Manufacturing manufacturing (general assumption) u-so 2020-05-15
Manufacturing manufacturing, leather u-so 2020-06-01
Polymers (all categories) manufacturing DE plastic injection moulding part (unspecific) u-so ts 2019-02-01
(GLO)
Stainless steel manufacturing (DE) DE steel sheet deep drawing (multi-level) u-so ts 2020-01-01
Steel unalloyed, manufacturing (DE,

VCC data)
Stainless steel manufacturing (DE) DE steel sheet deep drawing (multi-level) u-so ts 2020-01-01
Stainless steel manufacturing (DE) steel manufacturing (VCC data) u-so 2020-05-11
—
Appendix 3
Appendix 3 – Complete list of Material name Material group

IDMS Material Library material
Steel, Sintered Steel and Iron
categories
Steel, Unalloyed Steel and Iron
Steel, Stainless, Austenitic Steel and Iron
Steel, Stainless, Ferritic Steel and Iron
Cast iron (matcat) Steel and Iron
Aluminium, cast (matcat) Aluminium
Aluminium, wrought (matcat) Aluminium
Magnesium Other Metals
Copper Copper
Copper alloys Copper
Zinc Other Metals
Lead, battery Other Metals
NdFeB Other Metals
ABS (filled) Polymers
ASA (filled) Polymers
E/P (filled) Polymers
EVAC (filled) Polymers
PA (filled) Polymers
PBT (filled) Polymers
PC (filled) Polymers
PC+ABS (filled) Polymers
PE (filled) Polymers
PET (filled) Polymers
PMMA (filled) Polymers
POM (filled) Polymers
PP (filled) Polymers
PVB (filled) Polymers
PVC (filled) Polymers
ABS (unfilled) Polymers
ASA (unfilled) Polymers
E/P (unfilled) Polymers
EVAC (unfilled) Polymers
PA (unfilled) Polymers
PBT (unfilled) Polymers
PC (unfilled) Polymers
PC+ABS (unfilled) Polymers
PE (unfilled) Polymers
PET (unfilled) Polymers
PMMA (unfilled) Polymers
POM (unfilled) Polymers
PP (unfilled) Polymers
PVB (unfilled) Polymers
PVC (unfilled) Polymers
Thermoplastic elastomers (matcat) Polymers
EPDM Polymers
—
Appendix 3
Material name Material group
NR Polymers
SBR Polymers
Silicone rubber Polymers
Tyre Tyres
Epoxy Polymers
Polyurethane (matcat) Polymers
Damper Polymers
Cotton Natural Materials
Leather Natural Materials
Wood (paper, cellulose ...) Natural Materials
Catalytic coating Glass
Ferrite magnet Other Metals
Float glass Glass
Anode*
Cathode*
Electronics Electronics
Diesel Fluids and Undefined
Petrol Fluids and Undefined
Lubricants (matcat) Fluids and Undefined
Brake fluid Fluids and Undefined
Glycol Fluids and Undefined
R-1234yf Fluids and Undefined
R-134a Fluids and Undefined
Sulphuric acid Fluids and Undefined
Washer fluid Fluids and Undefined
AdBlue Fluids and Undefined
Separator, Li battery*
Undefined Fluids and Undefined
*Not used in any carbon footprint presented in this report, since the Li-ion battery is modelled separately.
—
Appendix 4
Appendix 4 – Summary of data

choices and assumptions for
component manufacturing
Material Assumption on component manufacturing Comment Material utilization rate in additional

component manufacturing
Cast iron No extra manufacturing processes The chosen dataset already includes the
production of a finished part to be used in
automotive applications.
Fluids No extra manufacturing processes Assumed that fluids do not need further
refining after production of the raw material
(the fluid itself).
Tires No extra manufacturing processes Assumed that the processes after vulcanis-
ation only has minor GHG-emissions.
Copper (wire) No extra manufacturing processes Assumed that processing after manu-
facturing into copper wire has negligible
emissions and waste.
NdFeB magnets No extra manufacturing processes The chosen dataset already includes the
production of a finished magnet to be
used in electric motors for automotive
applications.
Electronics (PCBs) No extra manufacturing processes The chosen dataset already includes the
production of a finished printed circuit
board.
Cast Aluminium Die-casting process 96%
Wrought Aluminium Rolling and Aluminium sheet deep drawing Assumed to represent different types of 62%
wrought processes.
Steel (in parts, processed at suppliers) Steel sheet deep drawing Sheet is assumed to adhere to the conserv- 63%
ative approach.
Steel (stamped in a Volvo factory) Steel scrap generated at Volvo Cars The steel scrap generated at stamping Confidential
factories in the Volvo factories, that is the steel in
workstream “vehicle structures”
Stainless steel Steel sheet deep drawing Sheet is assumed to adhere to the conserv- 63%
ative approach.
Polymers Injection moulding process Assumed to represent different types of 98%

processes
Other materials Raw material weight x2 Emissions from raw material production 50%
has been multiplied by two, to compensate
for further refining and processing.
—
Appendix 5
Appendix 5 – End-of-life A5.1 Transport

assumptions and method
Transportation of materials sent to material recycling is included and is assumed to be trans-
ported 1500 km by truck.
A5.2 Disassembly
The disassembly stage is, globally, still a mostly manual process. The energy consumption of
this stage was therefore disregarded. As the weight of the disassembled parts is low, potential
additional transport of these components was disregarded.
A5.3 Pre-treatment
Pre-treatment was included for the following disassembled components:
– Lead acid battery

– Catalytic converter (only ICE vehicles)
– Tyres
– Li-ion batteries (only electric vehicles)
For the lead acid batteries, catalytic converter and tyres, ecoinvent datasets were used for the
pre-treatment stage.
The Li-ion battery is assumed to be transported 1500 km by truck to the recycling facility.
For the remaining disassembled parts, no inventory was made since their disassembly is mainly
done as a safety precaution. After this stage, they will be handled similarly to the rest of the vehi-
cle. The fluids and oils that are incinerated likewise do not go through any pre-treatment.
A5.4 Shredding
In the shredding process, the vehicles are milled to smaller fractions. This process uses elec-
tricity. In order to estimate the amount of energy needed, the energy consumption per kg in
the dataset “treatment of used glider”, passenger car, shredding from ecoinvent 3.6 was used.
The electricity used for this process was modelled as Polestar’s specific electricity grid mix, as
described in “Electricity use in supply chain manufacturing processes”. Emissions of metals
to water and air have been omitted due to the focus on climate change.
The entire vehicle, except the parts sent for specific pre-treatment, is sent through the shred-
ding process. No additional transport is included, as shredding is modelled as occurring at the
same site as dismantling.
A5.5 Material recycling
This is the fate of the flows of metals from the shredding, as well as for the materials in the pre-
treated components. Based on the choice of cut-off approach for end-of-life modelling, this
stage is outside the boundaries of the life cycle and is not included in the inventory, except for
the transportation to material recycling, as mentioned above.
A5.6 Final disposal – incineration and landfill
The disassembled fluids and oils, as well as the combustible part of the shredder light fraction,
are modelled to be incinerated without energy recovery. The choice to not include energy
recovery relates to the global scope of the study. To model the incineration of the waste oils, an
ecoinvent dataset for the treatment of waste oil was used.
To model the emissions from the combustion of material from the shredder, a dataset for
incineration of mixed plastics was used, based on the main content of the flow going to this
—
Appendix 5
stage. The main part of the weight will be from the plastics in the vehicle. The dataset chosen
was a Thinkstep dataset of EU-28 incineration of mixed plastic.
Non-combustible materials, such as ceramics and glass, are a small part of the vehicle but
make up the part of the shredder light fraction that cannot be combusted. This flow is either
landfilled or recycled as filler material, in both cases modelled with a dataset for landfilling of
glass/inert matter, from Thinkstep.
Transportation of materials which are separated in the shredding processes and which are
assumed to be recycled is estimated to be 1500 km by truck.
A5.7 Data collection
This section provides an overview of the data collection activities relating to each life cycle
stage. For a full list of datasets see Appendix 2 – Chosen datasets.
According to the cut-off methodology, the processes presented below are included in the data
collection effort.
Disassembly stage Pre-processing stage Final disposal
Batteries Separate handling. Lead recovery from lead acid and desig- According to material category*
nated Li-ion battery dismantling
Fuel Incineration
Tyres Pre-treatment for tyre recycling None (sent to material recycling)
Liquids (coolants, brake fluid etc) Incineration
Oils (engine, gearbox etc) Incineration
Oil filters Incineration
Catalytic converter Pre-treatment to allow extraction of precious metals None (sent to material recycling)
Airbags and seat belt pretensioners Disarming of explosives According to material category*
Shredding
Rest of vehicle Shredding According to material category*
*Metals to material recycling, combustible material to incineration (mainly plastics) and residue to landfill

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Life cycle assessment 1/38

Contents Executive summary  4

1 General description of life cycle assessment (LCA)  9

3 Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI)  15

4 Results for Polestar 2  20

Appendix 1 – General methodology when

Appendix 2 – Chosen datasets  28

Appendix 3 – Complete list of IDMS Material Library material categories  34

Appendix 4 – Summary of data choices and assumptions for component manufacturing 36

Appendix 5 – End-of-life assumptions and method  37

Polestar 2 – wind power / XC40 ICE 50 000

Author Lisa Bolin

Contact Fredrika Klarén

Terms and definitions BEV

Dataset (LCI or LCIA dataset)

LCA modelling software

Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI)

Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)

Life cycle interpretation

1 General description of life 1.1 Principles of LCA

1.2 LCA standards

­ anagement – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework” standards. These

2 Methodology 2.1 The products

– ICE – Internal Combustion Engine

The studied cars are presented in Table 2.

Studied cars and their corresponding Polestar 2 2110 350

2.2 Way of working overview

IMDS material LCA i GaBi Battery module

A variety of internal data such

7 GaBi DfX 2.3 Methodology to define vehicle material composition

Polestar defined material categories in Steel 5

Polymers about 40 (including filled/unfilled)

Ceramics and glass 3

2.4 Goal and scope definition

This methodology follows an attributional approach and is developed considering the

11 Dai et al., 2019

2.4.1 System boundaries

Figure 5 Energy, natural resources

Schematic description of the studied sys- System boundary

Extraction of Transports Transport Use of the

2.4.2 Function, functional unit and reference flows

The functional unit of this study is:

2.4.4 System expansion

2.4.5 Assumptions and limitations

3 Life cycle inventory analysis 3.1 Material production and refining

Share of undefined material in the different Polestar 2 1.4 %

3.1.1 Aluminium production and refining

3.1.2 Steel production and refining

3.1.3 Electronics production and refining

3.1.4 Plastics production and refining

3.1.5 Minor material categories, production and refining

3.1.6 Electricity use in materials production and refining

Table 5 2019 produced cars Share

Total 705036 100 %

3.2 Battery modules

3.3 Manufacturing and logistics

3.4 Use phase

15 The processes that use the special

3.5 End-of-life of the vehicle

Contents Executive summary 4

1 General description of life cycle assessment (LCA) 9

3 Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI) 15

4 Results for Polestar 2 20

Appendix 2 – Chosen datasets 28

Appendix 3 – Complete list of IDMS Material Library material categories 34

Appendix 4 – Summary of data choices and assumptions for component manufacturing 36

Appendix 5 – End-of-life assumptions and method 37

anagement – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework” standards. These