Improving the efficiency of road-freight transport is critical to reducing the growth
in oil demand, carbon emissions and air pollution over the next decades,
according to the International Energy Agency's latest report,
The Future of Trucks: Implications for energy and the
environment.
Trucks
are a major contributor to the growth in transport-fuel consumption, as well as
rising carbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions. But the sector gets far less
attention and policy focus than passenger vehicles. Only four countries have
energy-efficiency standards for heavy trucks, compared with about 40 countries
with passenger-vehicle standards.
Yet the
growth in oil demand from trucks has outpaced all other sectors - including
passenger cars, aviation, industry and petrochemicals - since 2000 and
contributed 40% to global oil demand growth, a similar contribution as cars.
Today, trucks account for almost a fifth of global oil demand, or around 17
million barrels per day, equivalent to the combined oil production of the
United States and Canada. It also accounts for about half of global diesel use,
a third of all transport-related carbon emissions and a fifth of NOx emissions,
a key air pollutant.
Trucks
are a key enabler of global economic activity and play an essential role in
delivering goods or commodities across every point of the economic value chain,
from production to sale.
But if
no action is taken, oil demand from road freight is projected to grow by 5
million barrels per day by 2050, or around 40% of the projected increase in
global oil demand in that period. This growth is expected to lead to a
significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 900 million tonnes
through 2050, or about the same level of emissions growth as from coal use in
the power and the entire industry sector combined.
In an
effort to address this rise in demand and emissions, the IEA describes a more
sustainable policy pathway for truck transport that could reduce energy use in
road freight by 50% and emissions by 75% by 2050.
"For
far too long there has been a lack of policy focus on truck fuel
efficiency. Given they are now the dominant driver of global oil demand,
the issue can no longer be ignored if we are to meet our energy and
environmental objectives" said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA's Executive
Director. "Our study highlights the gains that are possible from
tighter truck fuel efficiency standards and sets out other cost-effective steps
to modernise freight transport."
The main
drivers of oil demand from trucks today are the United States, the European
Union and China, while India is emerging as a growing contributor. Economic
growth, particularly in Asia, will continue to boost oil demand from trucking
in the future.
The IEAhighlights three major areas of improvement. First, the trucking sector can
improve logistics and systems operations in order to be more efficient. This
includes near-term opportunities like using Global Positioning System to
optimise truck routing, as well as real-time feedback devices that monitor the
on-road fuel economy of trucks.
Greater
improvements on that front will require increased cooperation, as well as the
exchange of data, information and assets across the entire supply chain. This
can help increase the volume or weight of cargo hauled to improve the load on
each trip, but also reduce the number of trips during which trucks are running
empty, such as travel taken without any load at all after having delivered the
goods.
Second,
the IEA report finds that energy-efficiency improvements for the existing fleet
should include aerodynamic retrofits to reduce drag as well as low-rolling
resistance tires. New trucks can use additional technologies that cut idling,
use lightweight materials and take advantage of improvements to truck engines,
transmissions and drivetrains. Achieving stronger cuts in fuel use, carbon
dioxide and pollutant emissions requires the use of hybrids and zero emission
trucks.
Finally,
using alternative fuels such as natural gas, biofuels, electricity and hydrogen
can diversify fuel supply away from oil and also help reduce carbon emissions,
especially if produced from low-carbon pathways.
While
some of the improvements necessary may be expensive or complex, many can be
easily accomplished in the near-term by strong policy support, according to the
report. Some of these opportunities include tightening fuel-economy standards,
making better use of data and providing support for research and development
into alternative fuels.
Download the report here.