News Posted on 09/05/2019

EGVI-funded project COLHD reveals recommendations to reduce GHG emissions from HDVs and advance alternative fuels market

Co-authored by Bax & Company, Applus IDIADA and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the report presents a comprehensive view on the barriers that are still preventing the development of the alternative fuels market for Heavy-Duty Vehicles, mainly focusing on Liquified Natural Gas (and Biomethane) and Liquified Propane Gas (and Bio-propane) as alternative energy carriers, as they are considered the most promising in the short-term.

Currently, more than 90% of road transport relies on fossil diesel to run, accounting for almost 20% of the total GHG emissions in Europe. Although many solutions for alternative fuels and powertrain technologies have been identified and suggested, the number of OEMs involved so far is very limited, hindering the mass adoption of these solutions.

COLHD’s report shows there is no common European support strategy towards alternative fuels, and a clear lack of political and financial support, together with the discontinuity of policies and low economic appeal of alternative fuel solutions.

Other common barriers include high capital costs and long investment return periods for investing in alternative fuels infrastructure, limited cost/benefit trade-off of alternative fuel solutions perceived by the end users and low economic viability of biofuel use in transportation.

It is clear that regulatory and economic barriers are the major factors hampering the potential development of the AFs market. Throughout the online consultation, and reflection on the results, one key recommendation was prevalent: with a strong regulatory framework following clear long-term objectives, supported with financial incentives and a common European approach, Europe can overcome the remaining barriers.

For more information on the research conducted, you can contact the team through their website.

http://colhdproject.eu/