Analyzing the energy metabolism of the automotive industry to study the differences found in this sector across EU countries
Pérez-Sánchez, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Velasco-Fernández, Raúl (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Giampietro, Mario (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	The automotive industry plays a key economic and political role in developed countries due to its contribution to employment and revenues. In the EU, automotive industries play different roles in different countries due to the fragmentation of production and offshoring. An energy metabolic perspective allows us to explain differences in performance determined by the expression of different functions. This paper analyses the Motor vehicles industry and its sub-sectors in 8 EU countries from 2010 to 2019 visualizing data in end-use matrixes, a Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) tool. We study the relation over the following variables - energy carriers (electricity, and thermal energy), GHG emissions, working time, and value added - and three different scales - whole economy, the MVI sector, the subsectors within MVI. According to this multi-scale and multi-dimensional characterisation, we cluster the countries according to their functional specialization in (i) manufacturing intermediate parts and modules, (ii) final assembly of vehicles, and (iii) management and engineering design. This representation provides an integrated overview of the characteristics of the industry in relation to its core-periphery dynamics in the spatial division of labour, and gives new insights to the analysis of labor productivity, efficiency, decoupling and structural changes for sustainability.
Grants:	Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2019FI_B01317 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-230 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Motor vehicles industry ; MuSIASEM ; Metabolism ; GHG emissions ; Efficiency ; Decoupling
Published in:	Energy, Vol. 296 (June 2024) , art. 130855, ISSN 1873-6785

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.130855

13 p, 6.1 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles