LCA for Off-Road Vehicles Intended for Persons with Disabilities

As part of a competition organised by Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju [National Centre for Research and Development], entitled Rzeczy są dla ludzi [Things are for People], the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology received funding for the following project: MOUNTAINS WITHOUT BARRIERS—Integrated platform for the planning, organisation and oversight of as well as support for the access to mountain tourism services for people with physical difficulties in functioning, and a special-purpose off-road vehicle intended to support the provision of tourism services. Special-purpose off-road vehicles for people with special needs are becoming increasingly common around the world. They are two-track equivalents of mountain bicycles, designed for persons with special needs. These vehicles feature highly specialised factory-installed drivetrain tailored to the user’s individual needs, which is frequently electrically assisted. These vehicles are often equipped with additional special-purpose components. As any other vehicles exposed to major kinematic loads, these are also subject to increased wear and tear, for instance of mechanical parts and electric batteries. This article represents an attempt to address the overall body of problems pertaining to the life cycle assessment of such vehicles.