Decarbonising Europe’s Trucks

Modelling global freight decarbonisation pathways

“…However, these sectors are difficult to abate, partly because of technological limitations regarding alternative fuel sources and engine efficiency 4 . The technological uncertainty and the lack of maturity of many low and zero-emission alternatives have been highlighted as a major barrier to decarbonising road freight, as policy makers need to balance 5 .…”

“…The road freight sector is, therefore, clearly the most critical surface freight sector, and it is one where there is room for operational efficiency gains, for instance, by minimising empty kilometres 31 and by improving emission standards and renewing older fleets 1 . While there is evidence that existing technologies, such as battery-electric vehicles (BEV) are market-ready and technologically feasible today 5 , the sector is fractured, with high numbers of small companies (sometimes as small as single trucks) which makes transitioning to newer vehicles of any kind, but particularly BEV trucks quite economically challenging.…”

“…BEV trucks could become cost-competitive with diesel-propelled trucks by 2030 5 but would need to have good policies in place to help offset the higher up-front costs and to provide some certainty to truck owners who may be hesitant to transition to newer technologies. This is further exacerbated in less developed countries, often in the global south, where truck fleets tend to be significantly older.…”