Watch this animated video to find out how Europe can more than double the annual CO2 reduction rate from road transport.
All heavy-duty vehicles in Europe together account for just 5% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Given that they are responsible for transporting 75% of all land-based freight, their share of greenhouse gas emissions is relatively small. Since 1965, the fuel consumption of European trucks – and with that CO2 emissions – has come down by 60%. At the same time, truck makers have delivered enormous advances in air quality. Pollutant emissions have been slashed to near-zero levels, down 98% since 1990.
As a result of investments by the industry in fuel-efficient technologies, a modern truck can transport 1 tonne of goods up to a distance of 100km using as little as 1 litre of fuel. This makes a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. However, truck manufacturers advocate a far more ambitious approach to reducing CO2 for the future, as there is much more than new vehicles alone that determine CO2 emissions. Firstly, because new trucks only represent 10% of the fleet, they want to look at the entire vehicle fleet rather than just focus on new vehicles alone.
Secondly, there are many more factors than just the vehicle alone that determine CO2 emissions – such as permitted vehicle length and weight, trailer designs, alternative fuels, driver behaviour, optimised transport operations, infrastructure and more. Combined with the industry’s continuous improvements to vehicle technology, these measures have the potential to combat CO2 emissions more successfully as part of an ‘integrated approach’.
If all relevant stakeholders join forces, we’ll be able to unlock the full potential of further reducing CO2 emissions – and reach ambitious environmental targets. This means that if we move from a ‘new vehicle only’ approach to a fully integrated approach, Europe could more than double the annual CO2 reduction rate from road transport.
