The key role of CO₂-neutral fuels in the decarbonisation of heavy-duty vehicles

The key role of CO₂-neutral fuels in the decarbonisation of heavy-duty vehicles

Heavy-duty transport is a vital sector for the functioning of the EU internal market, but today it is also responsible for just over a quarter of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from road transport, and for about 6% of the EU’s total GHG emissions. Reducing the emissions from that sector is an immediate challenge and all options that can have a rapid impact need to be enabled. In fact, the attainment of a swift and effective decarbonisation of transport will very much depend on the technology options allowed. 

Today, the vast majority of trucks sold have an internal combustion engine using liquid fuels. Out of the total fleet of over 6 million Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDV) for transport of goods in the EU, about 2 million vehicles are used in the long-haul transport goods (ranging from 40 up to 76 tonnes). Technologies for battery-electric and fuel-cells trucks are developing fast and have a big decarbonisation potential. But at present, there is only a tiny fraction (1%) of electric or fuel cell trucks in operation worldwide, in pilot programmes. 

Liquid fuels of non-fossil origin are progressively replacing fossil fuels. Therefore, transport operators and vehicle manufacturers should be encouraged and allowed to use “CO₂ neutral fuels” (liquid and gaseous biofuels, already available today, and synthetic fuels) to speed up this transformation.  

Depending on use cases, technology diversity is needed, including electrification/hybridisation, hydrogen and sustainable and renewable fuels.

However, the European Commission’s proposal for the revision of Efficiency Standards for HDV (CO₂ in Trucks) triggers major barriers for investors in renewable fuels in Europe. The fuel manufacturing industry and many clean-tech start-ups are already investing to supply sustainable aviation and maritime fuels. Nevertheless, investors will find a much more robust business case for developing and deploying renewable fuels capacity at scale, if road transport is not excluded as a potential market for these fuels.

The current HDV CO₂ standards regulation, based on a pure Tank-to-Wheel approach, points towards a full-electric future but:

• What is the reality of CO₂ in heavy-duty vehicles?

• How to define a zero-emission technology and does it exist at all?

• While it is clear that electrification is a key element to the decarbonisation of our transport sector, are there other solutions able to reduce emissions immediately?

• Are transport operators’ needs taken into consideration in the Commission’s proposal?

To get answers to these questions and many more, join us for a live event from the European Parliament in Brussels which will be live-streamed here on Tuesday 11^th of October from 17:00 to 18:30.

Bringing together policy makers, industry and sector associations, this online event will include a demonstration of a tool showing the life-cycle GHG emissions of different powertrain heavy-duty vehicles in real life.

Programme

This event is supported by FuelsEurope