Climate change requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the automotive sector. To reduce CO₂ emissions from driving, a transition of energy sources, such as electrification, is being implemented. Another strategy is to reduce travel demand through digitalization, such as the rise of remote work, which can lower CO₂ emissions during both driving and vehicle manufacturing. However, digitalization may also induce travel, making it necessary to predict its impact. Life cycle simulation (LCS) has been widely used for the life cycle evaluation of passenger vehicles. This study implements both the travel demand model that accounts for changes in travel demand induced by digitalization and LCS in the same simulation platform to evaluate automobile life cycle burden under digitalization. A scenario reflecting digitalization-induced demand changes was compared to a constant travel demand scenario. Results showed that cumulative CO₂ emissions could be reduced by up to 17% by 2050, depending on the level of digitalization.
MITSUYA et al. (2025) studied this question.