ICCT STUDY INDICATES THAT ONLY BATTERY ELECTRIC AND FUEL CELL ELECTRIC TRUCKS CAN MEET CLIMATE TARGETS
On 6 February, the International Council on Clean Transportation published a study on a life-cycle comparison of the GHG emissions from combustion, electric and hydrogen trucks and buses in Europe. The aim of white paper is to provide policymakers and manufacturing companies the opportunity to confront which option provides the largest GHG emissions reduction. In addition to the CO2 emissions from vehicles tailpipes, the study’s methodology also includes CO2 generated from vehicles manufacturing, maintenance, fuel and electricity production.
A key finding of the study is that the greatest climate impact produced by trucks and buses over their whole life comes from fuel consumption, not from the extraction of raw materials, construction, or maintenance. As indicated by Nikita Pavlenko, ICCT’s Fuels Program Lead, the study shows ‘’that only battery electric and some fuel cell electric trucks can meet the climate targets in the sector”.
Other findings include:
- Battery electric trucks and buses outperform their diesel, hydrogen, and natural gas counterparts in reducing GHG emissions over their lifetime. 2021 vehicle models produce at least 63% lower lifetime emissions compared to diesel. This reduction is already possible using today’s EU electrical grid, which is not 100%renewable.
- GHG emissions reduction of fuel cell battery trucks and buses that run on green hydrogen fall by up to 89% compared to their diesel counterparts. Instead, if the hydrogen is fossil fuels produced, the reduction is only between 15% to 33%.
- GHG emissions reduction are marginal when comparing natural gas trucks and buses to diesel, between 4% to 18%.
The full study can be consulted here.