UK CARBON REDUCTION POTENTIAL FROM TECHNOLOGIES IN THE TRANSPORT SECTOR

Abstract:

Reducing CO₂ emissions from UK transport is likely to require a combination of measures, including increased energy efficiency, new technology introduction, and fuel switching. Apart from demand-side management, the most important technologies can be divided into (a) vehicles and (b) fuels.

Key vehicle technologies are:

Different fuels can be used in these different vehicles:

Each of these technologies and fuels faces technical, cost and policy challenges before it can compete commercially. However, these do not appear insurmountable. Each also offers benefits other than simply possible reductions in CO₂ emissions from transport. In the near term, hybrid vehicles and biofuels are expected to be the main contributors to reductions in emissions. The environmental impact of biofuels is complex and care should be taken in evaluating and monitoring their real-world effects, especially if either raw materials or finished fuels are imported. In the longer term, but only if technical development is successful, fuel cell vehicles using hydrogen offer the potential for major emissions reductions.

The table below gives indicative figures, and ranges, of costs of carbon reduction from different fuels and routes. It is extremely important to note the uncertainty inherent in all of the cost and price assumptions made here, especially as the timescales increase. Robust policy must be based not only on these numbers, but also on other factors that have not been examined under the analysis conducted for this report.

1. Introduction
2. Important Issues and Caveats
3. Vehicle Technologies
4. Fuels
5. Technology and Cost Issues and Other Barriers
6. Costs of Energy Use and CO₂ Emission Reduction
7. Policy
8. Summary

Publication Year:

2006

Publisher:

Department for Transport

DOI:

No DOI minted

Author(s):

E4tech