Fuel cell driven cars belong to the 'zero emission' vehicles and should contribute to lower CO 2 emissions. However, they contain platinum, which is known as a critical material in the European Union. This study investigated the potential contribution of recycling fuel cell vehicles (FCV) to satisfy the platinum demand arising from a widespread deployment of fuel cell vehicles in Europe. Based on a qualitative examination of the four consecutive steps in the recycling chain (collection, dismantling, disassembly and pre-processing, material recovery) of fuel cell vehicles, two recycling scenarios were developed. Using dynamic material flow analysis, these two recycling scenarios were applied to two scenarios for the market penetration of fuel cell vehicles in nine European lead markets to deliver both the associated impact on platinum demand and the contribution of recycling for meeting this demand. The diffusion of FCV in Europe will not cause a depletion of platinum resources in the short term, as the calculated 537.06 t and 459.24 t in cumulative platinum requirements are far below the currently estimated global reserves. However, concerns regarding the future development of platinum supply and demand remain.
Purpose
Benchmarks provide a strategic tool for assessing the sustainability impacts of urban development. Addressing the need for practitioners to evaluate their initiatives, track progress and determine their competitive position, this paper aims to introduce the conception and implementation of a smart city maturity assessment and benchmarking tool.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a design science approach, application objectives are defined based on a review of literature and related benchmarking tools. Focusing on a subset of functions for the prototype version, these objectives are operationalized by development of a smart mobility maturity model, indicator set and survey. A two-step evaluation by means of a test run using data of five cities and expert interviews confirms the tool’s functionality.
Findings
Compliance with the defined objectives is achieved by implementation of a Web-based self-assessment tool using objective indicators. Future development iterations are to integrate additional smart city action fields.
Practical implications
Delivering a city’s maturity level, the tool enables stakeholders to measure the impact of their initiatives. Benchmarking functions for tracking progress and comparison with other projects are provided in the form of graphical analyses. Ac-tionable guidance is supplied for improving the city’s standing.
Social implications
Strategies supporting a sustainable lifestyle are crucial for smart city development, as the shaping of attractive living spaces and a reliable information and communication technology and physical infrastructure form major selling points for attracting skilled workers, businesses, tourists and citizens.
Originality/value
Enabling practitioners to self-evaluate their initiatives, providing the option to track progress and supplying guidance for improving a city’ standing, the proposed solution represents a novel form of knowledge transfer.
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