Environmental and damage assessment of electric vehicles compared to internal combustion engine vehicles under various ambient temperature scenarios using the LCA approach

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) compares the environmental impacts of EVs and ICEVs energy consumption across different temperatures. • EVs powered by renewable energy at 30 °C (EV03) reduce CO₂ emissions by 90 % compared to ICEVs. • Ambient temperature significantly affects both energy consumption and emissions. • The study emphasizes the importance of optimizing ambient conditions for EVs, particularly in colder regions. This study assesses the environmental impacts of the energy consumption of electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach considering four temperature scenarios. The aim is to compare the environmental performance of the energy consumption of both vehicle types under different climatic conditions and to identify the most sustainable option. The functional unit for this study was set at 100 km of distance. The results show that temperature significantly affects the environmental impacts of EVs and ICEVs. EVs operating at warmer temperatures (30 °C) showed lower environmental impacts compared to those operating at colder temperatures (-7 °C). The third EV scenario with renewable wind energy at 30 °C produced 90 % less CO 2 emissions than the third ICEV scenario at the same temperature (0.3318 kg CO 2eq per 100 km, compared to 3.3372 kg CO 2eq ). In addition, EVs showed lower impacts in key categories such as human health, particulate matter formation and resource depletion. ICEV scenarios, especially at lower temperatures, showed higher greenhouse gas emissions and environmental loads. The findings suggest that electric vehicles, especially when powered by renewable energy sources and operated under optimal temperature conditions, offer significant environmental benefits over ICEVs. This study highlights the importance of considering temperature and energy sources when assessing the environmental performance of vehicles and provides valuable insights for future vehicle design and policymaking aimed at reducing the environmental impacts associated with transportation. Policy recommendations include optimizing charging infrastructure in cold regions and promoting EVs in warmer climates.