Step In The Right Direction

How switching to alternative liquid fuels can help operators put the brakes on HGV emissions.

- Rebecca Swann

The 2018 Department for Transport’s Road to Zero paper leans heavily towards electrification as the most viable and ‘proven’ solution for reducing levels of harmful emissions on our roads. However, in the interest of being technologically neutral and ‘open to alternatives’, the paper sets out no clear directive. Particularly for HGVs, where e-mobility isn’t set up to meet commercial energy demands.

Although we are all on the journey to a low-emission future, the transport industry must be realistic with how quickly zero-emission haulage can be implemented – especially where existing infrastructure is lacking. It is here that liquid fuels must act as a stepping stone for transport businesses on the road to the zero-emission end-point.

So why should liquid fuels be part of the transition to cleaner air? What does the current liquid fuel mix look like? And how can they support hauliers in the journey to zero emissions?

Time for action

There’s no question the road transport industry is under pressure to reduce emissions of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). According to the Clean Air Strategy, road transport is responsible for 34 per cent of NOx and 12 per cent of primary PM. The sector is also expected to remain the largest contributor of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, consuming 32 per cent of total energy demand.

Much progress has been made in reducing emissions from HGVs, with recent figures showing NOx emissions to have halved in the past five years thanks to the introduction of Euro 6 engines. But business as usual is not an option. As the world looks to the UK to take the lead on emissions, the transport sector will have a big part to play in the clean energy transition.