In the life cycle assessment of a vehicle, different phases are often analyzed. When an upgraded dumper or trailer is compared to an original design in conventional steel, steel production and service life are dominating factors. The latter often accounts for 90% of the vehicle’s total environmental savings. When analyzing service life in the case of weight-limited cargo, the weight of the vehicle is considered. The fuel consumption of road vehicles depends on several resistance factors the vehicle has to overcome during its operation.

Except for aerodynamic resistance, all resistance factors are linearly dependent on vehicle mass. The aerodynamic resistance, however, depends on the vehicle’s dimensions and speed. Therefore, besides its mass, speed, acceleration and the gradient (hilly or flat) also affect the vehicle’s fuel consumption. These factors are highly dependent on the driving conditions and driving behavior. With the same driving conditions assumed, the correlation between fuel consumption and vehicle weight is linear, and the fuel savings corresponding to a specific weight savings is independent of the vehicle’s absolute weight.

Fast vehicles driven at a steady speed will have high aerodynamic resistance and low acceleration resistance, and thus moderate specific energy savings through weight reduction. Consequently, slow vehicles that have frequent stopping and acceleration will gain high fuel savings through weight reduction.