Micromobility is an increasingly attractive option, particularly over short distances. Walking, biking, and other modes of transport, such as e-scooters, are gaining popularity. Furthermore, a trend is emerging to introduce appealing items onto the market that incorporate new/more sustainable materials to improve wellbeing. Significant research questions concern the understanding of emerging research needs and the environmental, social, and economic effects of sustainability in the micromobility transport system, specifically because of developing and implementing new products, boosting the safety and comfort of ergonomic personal mobility devices (PMDs), and assuring security and privacy while digitalization arises. Such research topics can raise policymakers’ and the public’s awareness while providing impactful information for decision-makers. This paper provides a literature review of the most recent research on micromobility-related topics. It uses scientific databases, a keywords list, and defined inclusion criteria to select data, analyze content, and perform a bibliometric analysis. The findings highlight the significance of using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools together with other methodologies to aid in the evaluation of urban complexity. Finally, using a life cycle thinking (LCT) approach, we propose a framework for comprehensively integrating identified research needs.

Utilizing CO 2 capture technologies is an essential part of achieving a future carbon-neutral Society. So far, amine-based technologies, which are the most mature post-combustion CO 2 capture technologies, have been predominantly applied in large-scale CO 2 capture applications. However, the cryogenic process has also been proven to be a potential CO 2 capture technology suitable for large-scale applications. Cryogenic carbon capture offers two potential advantages over amine-based technology. First, the efficiency is higher and thus the energy penalty is lower. Next, the flexibility of system integration is also higher, and thus the technology carries the potential of better balancing variable renewable electricity productions. By using the software tool EnergyPLAN and dedicated scenarios of achieving a carbon-neutral Denmark, this paper quantitatively estimates these benefits. It is observed that, from a system perspective, utilizing cryogenic technologies to capture 90 % of CO 2 emissions in 2045 can reduce the demand for wind power by approximately 47 %, leading to a decrease in annual system costs by nearly 45 %.

Domestic refrigeration and freezing appliances can be used for electrical load shifting from peak to off-peak demand periods, thus allowing greater penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) and significantly contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions. The full realization of this potential can be achieved with the synergistic combination of smart grid (SG) technologies and the application of phase-change materials (PCMs). Being permanently online, these ubiquitous appliances are available for the most advanced strategies of demand-side load management (DSLM), including real-time demand response (DR) and direct load control (DLC). PCMs are a very cost-effective means of significantly augmenting their cold storage capacity and, hence, their load-shifting capabilities. Yet, currently, refrigerators and freezers equipped with PCMs for DSLM are still absent in the market and research works focusing on the synergy of these technologies are still scarce. Intended for a multidisciplinary audience, this broad-scoped review surveys the literature to evaluate the technological feasibility, economic viability and global impact of this combination. The state-of-the-art of SG-enabling technologies is investigated—e.g., smart meters, Internet-of-Things (IoT)—as well as current and future standards and norms. The literature on the use of PCMs for latent heat/cold storage (LHCS) is also reviewed.

Although the production of cars has high environmental costs, producing and maintaining micromobility vehicles might consume fewer resources. Likewise, replacing the car with active mobility transportation modes would reduce noise and air pollution. The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology contributes to the study of such environmentally sustainable solutions. We present a “cradle-to-grave” analysis by tracking activity from the extraction of raw materials until the end of the product’s life. The goal was to carry out an LCA of a novel micromobility vehicle, Ghisallo, from a life cycle thinking perspective. The LCA tool, ITF Good to Go? Assessing the Environmental Performance of New Mobility, developed by the International Transport Forum, was used to model the baseline and alternative scenarios. The vehicle’s materials, primary energy sources for battery charging, use of the vehicle as a shared mobility mode, among other factors, were changed to assess energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the life cycle chain. The LCA results of the baseline scenario for Ghisallo were similar to the values of other micromobility vehicles. Energy consumption (MJ) and GHG emissions (grams of equivalent CO₂) per vehicle-kilometer (v-km) were 0.36 MJ/v-km and 29 gCO_2eq/v-km, respectively. For this personal mobility vehicle, it was concluded that most GHG emissions were from its production (42% of the total). Air transport from the production to sales sites increased its impact by 10%. We present measures to decrease the energy and GHG emissions impacts of a micromobility device’s life cycle.