Cargo Talk Feb2021 (2) - Flipbook - Page 8
INDUSTRY REPORT
Decarbonising road
freight sector
Shell and Deloitte have put out a joint study on how to decarbonise the road freight sector. The report indicates that the road
freight sector is close to a tipping point to decarbonise faster than expected with hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and battery
electric vehicles as the most viable long-term zero-emission heavy duty truck technology.
CT Bureau
he ‘Decarbonising Road
Freight: Getting into Gear’
report offers a detailed 10year roadmap with 22 solutions aimed
at addressing the economic, technical,
regulatory and organisational factors
influencing the sector’s ability to
decarbonise. According to the report,
more than 70 per cent of participants
view hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles
and battery electric vehicles as the most
T
Huibert Vigeveno
Carlos Maurer
Downstream Director
Shell
Executive Vice President of Sectors
and Decarbonisation, Shell
Road freight is currently
responsible for around 9%
of global CO2 emissions and
with demand for road freight
services set to double by
2050, urgent action must be
taken now
The next 10 years
will be critically
important for the road
freight sector to
introduce zero emission
vehicles into the
global fleet
8 CARGOTALK
FEBRUARY - 2021
viable long-term zero-emission heavy
duty truck technology, and many believe
these trucks will become commercially
viable in the next five to 10 years.
“Trucks move virtually everything
modern society depends on for daily life
and during the current COVID-19 crisis,
society has experienced just how critical
road freight is in delivering essential
goods,” said Huibert Vigeveno,
Downstream Director, Shell, in adding,
“However, road freight is currently
responsible for around nine per cent of
global CO2 emissions and with demand
for road freight services set to double by
2050, urgent action must be taken now
to put the sector on a pathway to net
zero emissions by then.”
Barriers to
decarbonisation
The sector is facing several barriers to
decarbonisation – especially limited
infrastructure, insufficient regulatory
incentives and lacking demand from
shippers. Relatively cheap trucks and
diesel fuel, and near-universal access
to fuelling infrastructure, underpin the
current attractiveness and flexibility of
the road freight sector.
Solutions
The 22 solutions fall under four
categories, based
on
shared
characteristics.
Making an impact
Solutions can be started immediately,
using existing technologies, leading
to significant short and medium-term
reductions in emissions. Firstly, last-mile
delivery and city buses can be largely
electrified, reducing pollution and noise
in cities. Secondly, the sector should
focus on reducing emissions from the
current fleet through proven cost saving
technologies. Thirdly, where sufficient
supply exists, the sector can deploy
transition solutions such as liquefied
natural gas (LNG), compressed natural
gas (CNG), bioLNG and biodiesel to
begin reducing tailpipe emissions.
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