With Government legislation working towards cutting carbon emissions, the road freight sector is just one area of the transport and logistics sector looking for ways to cut back on emissions. A report, commissioned by the Transport Knowledge Transfer Network and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, has identified ways for the road freight sector to reduce carbon emissions, currently measuring at around 7% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions.
The report highlights how the use of hybrid vehicles, as well as pure electric trucks, both suited to urban and municipal deliveries and duties, could reduce wheel-to-wheel emissions by up 20-50%, as well as offering noise reduction and increased air quality in our urban areas. Using dual fuel technology, shifting to compressed and liquid gases as a fuel source, could potentially cut emissions by up to 65% if the gas used was obtained from a renewable source.
With long haul journeys creating increased energy consumption due to rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag, the report suggests adopting technologies to counteract this drain which, when used in conjunction with each other, could cut wheel-to-wheel CO2 emissions by 10%, and offer reductions in vehicle operator’s costs.