TY - EJOU AU - Boubaker, Sahbi AU - Al-Dahidi, Sameer AU - Alsubaei, Faisal S. TI - Modeling of CO2 Emission for Light-Duty Vehicles: Insights from Machine Learning in a Logistics and Transportation Framework T2 - Computer Modeling in Engineering \& Sciences PY - 2025 VL - 143 IS - 3 SN - 1526-1506 AB - The transportation and logistics sectors are major contributors to Greenhouse Gase (GHG) emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) from Light-Duty Vehicles (LDVs) is posing serious risks to air quality and public health. Understanding the extent of LDVs’ impact on climate change and human well-being is crucial for informed decision-making and effective mitigation strategies. This study investigates the predictability of CO2 emissions from LDVs using a comprehensive dataset that includes vehicles from various manufacturers, their CO2 emission levels, and key influencing factors. Specifically, six Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, ranging from simple linear models to complex non-linear models, were applied under identical conditions to ensure a fair comparison and their performance metrics were calculated. The obtained results showed a significant influence of variables such as engine size on CO2 emissions. Although the six algorithms have provided accurate forecasts, the Linear Regression (LR) model was found to be sufficient, achieving a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) below 0.90% and a Coefficient of Determination (R2) exceeding 99.7%. These findings may contribute to a deeper understanding of LDVs’ role in CO2 emissions and offer actionable insights for reducing their environmental impact. In fact, vehicle manufacturers can leverage these insights to target key emission-related factors, while policymakers and stakeholders in logistics and transportation can use the models to estimate the CO2 emissions of new vehicles before their market deployment or to project future emissions from current and expected LDV fleets. KW - CO2 emission; machine learning; modeling; prediction; performance metrics; light-duty vehicles; climate change; transportation and logistics DO - 10.32604/cmes.2025.063957