European Road Transport Research Articles

Road Safety in The European Road Transport System and the Correlation with Sustainable Development

Abstract In May 2018, the European Commission unveiled a medium-term strategic action plan as part of the Europe on the Move package, as well as a novel approach to road safety policy. In the long run, the European Union’s Vision Zero initiative has maintained an ambitious target of nearly zero fatalities by 2050. This mindset must grow stronger than it has been in the past, both among decision-makers and in society. The European Union Council, facilitating the Valletta Declaration on Road Safety of March 2017, set, for the first time, an important road safety target of halving the number of serious injuries across all EU countries by 2030, using 2020 as their benchmark. Road accidents are those quiet criminals since they often go unreported in our culture. Most Western countries, including EU members, boast some of the world’s safest roadways. In this connection, they aid other less developed European nations by emphasizing the knowledge acquired in this sector for their growth and advocating the highest possible standards on a worldwide scale. When compared to other continents, Europe is performing well in this regard, owing to decisive action at all levels, including national, regional, and municipal. At the European level, cumulative road accidents kill around 500 people every week. Deaths in other modes of transportation are no longer tolerated, and deaths on the road are no longer acceptable, and this concept must be integrated into the road safety decision-making process. It is absolutely crucial, and also required, to adopt the Safe System at the EU level as soon as possible. The scientific study includes specific research undertaken by the authors to apply various technological and managerial principles, in which correct and up-to-date facts and numbers concerning road safety and its management at the European level are provided. Those interested can thus become acquainted with the current state of play in the field approached about the new safety systems on vehicles, which have become mandatory for all car manufacturers in Europe as of January 1, 2022, but also about how these systems intervene to ensure the safety of the occupants of a vehicle. Finally, the results and future research and development directions are discussed.

Climate neutrality in European heavy-duty road transport: How to decarbonise trucks and buses in less than 30 years?

The decarbonisation of heavy-duty road transport is subject to many uncertainties regarding fuel choices and the role of efficiency and demand-side measures. Moreover, the various segments of heavy-duty road transport exhibit distinctive characteristics, posing challenges in identifying a one-size-fits-all solution. In a scenario-based analysis with coupled modelling of the European energy system and its endogenous transport demand (driver training, improved logistics and collective mobility) we study the decarbonisation of European heavy-duty road transport through 2050, with a granular representation of its segments in the modelling exercise. Our modelling results show that battery electric vehicles are the key enablers of climate neutrality, representing 60 %–89 % of trucks and 79 %–96 % of buses by 2050. Yet, this important level of electrification, in a climate-neutral Europe, represent at most 4 % (320 TWh) of final electricity consumption. While shifting to electric and hydrogen vehicles brings significant fuel savings (41 %–66 %) and emission reductions (33 %–60 % cumulatively), demand-side operational measures can quickly and cost-effectively complement fuel switching, bringing up to 50 % of cumulative emission savings. The modelling results are highly sensitive to policy assumptions, especially regarding those related to the role of clean hydrogen. This calls for long-term planning with stable and clear signalling of technology choices.

A Novel Data Envelopment Analysis Framework for Performance Evaluation of European Road Transport Systems

The role of transportation is becoming increasingly important in the world economy, and road transport in particular plays a very important role in all types of transportation. For this reason, it is extremely important to monitor its performance regularly. Very often, this is done using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) performance evaluation models, and consequently, there are numerous articles in the literature on DEA evaluation of road transport systems. In this study, we first summarise these articles and classify them according to different characteristics (environmental, safety, economic, energy). Finally, we use them as a basis for developing a novel DEA framework, which is used for the evaluation of the efficiency and ranking of road transport systems that also takes into account undesirable outputs, i.e. environmental and safety outputs. As a case study, we evaluate 28 European countries from technical, safety and environmental aspects. The CCR and SBM models are used to evaluate the efficiency of these countries for the last two years of published data. The results show that Denmark ranks first and Cyprus last for both years. It was also found that safety efficiency is generally rated lower than other criteria. Finally, the results and reasons for the efficiency and inefficiency of specific decision-making units, i.e. countries, are discussed.

Health effects of carbonaceous PM2.5 compounds from residential fuel combustion and road transport in Europe

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. In Europe, residential fuel combustion and road transport emissions contribute significantly to PM2.5. Toxicological studies indicate that PM2.5 from these sources is relatively more hazardous, owing to its high content of black and organic carbon. Here, we study the contribution of the emissions from these sectors to long-term exposure and excess mortality in Europe. We quantified the impact of anthropogenic carbonaceous aerosols on excess mortality and performed a sensitivity analysis assuming that they are twice as toxic as inorganic particles. We find that total PM2.5 from residential combustion leads to 72,000 (95% confidence interval: 48,000–99,000) excess deaths per year, with about 40% attributed to carbonaceous aerosols. Similarly, road transport leads to about 35,000 (CI 23,000–47,000) excess deaths per year, with 6000 (CI 4000–9000) due to carbonaceous particles. Assuming that carbonaceous aerosols are twice as toxic as other PM2.5 components, they contribute 80% and 37%, respectively, to residential fuel combustion and road transport-related deaths. We uncover robust national variations in the contribution of each sector to excess mortality and emphasize the importance of country-specific emission reduction policies based on national characteristics and sectoral shares.

“The impact of energy efficiency and decarbonisation policies on the European road transport sector”

“The impact of energy efficiency and decarbonisation policies on the European road transport sector”

The stock-service productivity of the European road transport infrastructure

An efficient transport infrastructure not only connects markets and people but also positively affects economic activity, development, and growth. However, little research acknowledges the interaction between the material resources of in-use stocks of transport infrastructure and their service provision. Using the European transport sector as a case study, we quantify the mass of materials composing the transport infrastructure and analyze the interactions between in-use stocks and service provision through the stock-service productivity indicator. We also assess the primary factors driving stock-service productivity changes and explore feasible ways to improve productivity. To do so, we decompose changes in stock-service productivity to the effects of transport intensity, affluence, population density, road density, and material stock efficiency at regional and national levels based on the Log-Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method. The results indicate that (1) the productivity of the materials stocked in the European road infrastructure increased from 51 to 57 freight-kilometers/ton-year during the 2010–2019 period; (2) freight transport intensity and affluence were the dominant driving factors in both regional and national scales, while population density, road density and material efficiency played smaller roles. This study contributes to understanding the deeper relation between resource use and its provided services.

Greenhouse gas emission budgets and policies for zero-Carbon road transport in Europe

ABSTRACT Following the Paris Agreement, virtually all countries worldwide have committed themselves to undertaking efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. Within the European Union (EU), the recent ‘Fit for 55’ policy package proposes ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policies for all sectors as part of the EU's contribution to limiting global warming. Yet, it is unclear whether the proposed policies are sufficient for the EU to limit global warming to 1.5 °C and it remains an open policy problem how to translate global temperature targets into sector-specific emission budgets and further into sector-specific policies. Here, we derive GHG budgets for transport in EU27 and obtain GHG mitigation pathways for Europe consistent with 1.5 °C global warming. We do not provide a comprehensive assessment of the ‘Fit for 55’ transport package but we discuss the main policies for road transport in light of the GHG emission budgets, their level of ambition, and suggest amendments to these policies as well as improvements to the ‘Fit for 55’ package. Our results suggest that parts of the ‘Fit for 55’ for transport are still not ambitious enough to align with a 1.5 °C scenario. Key policy insights A Paris-compatible residual carbon budget for EU transport is 10–12 Gt CO2. The budget implies net zero emissions for EU transport by 2044–2048 latest. We find the current ‘Fit for 55’ proposal for transport is not ambitious enough. A faster phase-out of cars and trucks with combustion engines is required and there is a need for ambitious standards for fast charging e-vehicles. CO2 pricing of transport is not a substitute but a complement to fleet targets.

Reducing the environmental impacts of passenger cars: a comparison between electricity and biofuels

This study assessed the potential for decreasing the environmental impact of the European road transport sector by exploiting biofuels. After processing available data on the actual trends of biofuels utilisation in the sector, laboratory and on-road tests were conducted to compare the emissions from a C-segment Euro 6d-TEMP passenger car fed with commercial reference petrol and three experimental petrol blends containing components of renewable origin. Through the Life Cycle Assessment methodology based on measurement data, the environmental impacts of the four fuels were compared with an average C-segment battery electric vehicle. Concerning a fossil petrol car, all the fuels slightly reduced the impact on climate change, while the battery electric vehicle performed best. For the remaining environmental impact categories, the picture was less straightforward.

Sustainable solutions for reducing air-conditioning costs and tailpipe emissions from heavy-duty transportation across Europe

Heavy-duty trucks emit >25% of the CO2 of the European road transport sector despite representing ≈2.5% of its fleet. Escalating temperatures associated to global warming will increase the use of air-conditioning (AC) in heavy-duty trucks, further raising their fuel consumption and emissions. Thus, sustainable solutions are needed to reduce the thermal loads affecting the truck cabins, to minimize the need for AC and decrease the sector’s costs and environmental footprint. We assessed the economic and environmental impact of AC use in the European heavy-duty transportation fleet, for realistic environmental conditions throughout the year, across the different European regions. Potential reductions were estimated for various changes in the optical properties of the cabin external paints and glazing elements (windshield and side-windows). The use of high-reflectivity paints in the cabin external surfaces and low-transmissivity glazing can reduce fuel costs by ≈€195 million/year across Europe (i.e., ≈0.1% of the total fuel costs of the European heavy-duty fleet), and decrease CO2 emissions by 1% of the reduction target set for 2025. These potential reductions highlight the importance of engaging with transportation stakeholders (e.g., workers unions, vehicle manufacturers, policymakers, and regulating bodies), to raise awareness about the potential benefits for the European transportation sector and the environment, and to promote the necessary adaptation in the transportation fleets.

The Lure and Limits of Smart Cars: Visual Analysis of Gender and Diversity in Car Branding

Introduction: Currently Europe regards itself as a leader in the global race towards smart automated transport. According to ERTRAC, European Road Transport Research Advisory Council, automated driving innovation is motivated by technological advancements as well as “social goals of equality”. This article analyzes to what extent such dimensions of gender and diversity have become visible in smart car advertisements and how they correspond with the notion of Gender-Smart Mobility, which signifies equal and accessible transport solutions. Methods: Guided by theoretical notions of gender scripts and discourse analysis, this article addresses how perspectives of smart technology, gender, and class are carved out and handled in YouTube videos applied as marketing tools. Using visual analysis as a method, videos from well-known car producers such as BMW and Volvo are scrutinized. The visual analysis includes a presentation of the car company, descriptions of the most relevant YouTube videos, and discussion of the findings. Results: The visual analysis of the Volvo and BMW YouTube videos points to the lack of inclusiveness. There continues to be a prevalent reproduction of gendered stereotypes in the videos, not least in the notion of ‘hyper masculinity’ storytelling by BMW and how leaders (be they women or men) look, i.e., middle-class people. Volvo, on the other hand, has maintained its focus on female professionals in parallel with the introduction of new and energy-saving cars. Yet, a rather one-sided presentation of a professional business-woman is depicted as a replication of the businessman. Conclusion: In the final section, it is assessed how the visual branding complies with the notion of Gender-Smart Mobility, a concept that was developed in the EU Horizon 2020 project TInnGO. The two brands meet the Gender-Smart Mobility indicator, but only to some degree. None of the companies are fully inclusive, and it is difficult to label them as gender-smart and sustainable despite their ambitions of feeding into the green transition.

Comparing different approaches for estimating tailpipe emissions in passenger cars

Vehicles with Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) still represent the most prevalent form of road transport in Europe, being an important source of both greenhouse gases and air pollutants. In response to these concerns, Portable Emission Measurement Systems (PEMS) have been widely used by researchers to measure tailpipe emissions and to detect cheating of emissions regulations by manufacturers. This paper introduces four different approaches to estimate carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions for these vehicles. These approaches were based on: i) speed intervals (≤50 km.h-1, 50-90 km.h-1, ≥ 90 km.h-1); ii) internally observable variables (IOVs); iii) vehicle specific power (VSP); and iv) driving volatility indicators. The development of IOVs models was made by testing the most significant parameters on CO2 and NOx emission rates, which included the engine speed (RPM), manifold absolute pressure (MAP), and intake air temperate (IAT). VSP-modal approach centred on binning emission rates in 14 models that reflects deceleration, idling, cruise, and acceleration states. Driver volatility was characterized by means of vehicular jerk (i.e., first derivate of acceleration) using nine combinations of vehicular jerk types. To obtain real world emissions, data were collected from one petrol and one diesel passenger cars using an integrated PEMS. IOVs and jerk models based on the product of MAP and RPM presented similar CO2 emission compared to measured values for both vehicles, but they resulted in higher overestimation of NOx than a VSP-modal approach. The proposed methodology can be extended to other individual ICE or alternative fuel vehicles for which it may be expensive to get emissions, engine, and dynamic data.

Aspects regarding the research in the field of electric vehicles implementation in the context of the sustainable development of the European road transport system

Aspects regarding the research in the field of electric vehicles implementation in the context of the sustainable development of the European road transport system

The future of road transport in Europe. Environmental implications of automated, connected and low-carbon mobility

The increasing efficiency of the transport system during the last 100 hundred years has fuelled and sustained the unprecedent economic growth of our society. It has shaped our livestyles and influenced the development of our cities and town. At the same time it has posed several challenges to our world as the provision of transport opportunities has heavily contribuitred to the depletion of natural resources, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. Road transport in particular has had a major role into this. Several policies have been introduced during the last 50 years in the attempt to limit the impact of the transport system, but they have been effective only to a certain extent. During the last years, however, new technologies and social trends are promising to disrupt the transport system and make it substantially more efficient and more sustanable. The present paper discusses the possibile environmental impacts of some of the new technologies applied to transport, in particular highlighting how its complexity may jeopardize the possible improvements that the new technologies promise without properly governing their use.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Road Freight Transport Evidence from Poland

Purpose: The main aim of this article is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Polish road freight transport industry. This paper seeks to understand the impacts on travel behavior and the transport system caused by the different actions and policies adopted by the governments and transport authorities to contain the COVID-19 spread. Design/Methodology/Approach: Econometric and statistical methods were used, including analysis ofprimary data, predictive model of exponential smoothing. Findings: Using primary data as part of the study, conclusions have been reached, stating that the imposition of the lock-down of the European economy had a negative impact on the shortterm business of transport enterprises. On the other hand, once the number of infections was reduced, followed by a reduction in restrictions, the number of road kilometers covered by the enterprises under survey increased. This increase was higher than in the corresponding periods of previous years. Practical Implications: The article analyses short-term effects on road freight transport of legal provisions aimed at limiting the virus's spread. Results can be helpful to draws some recommendations for transport systems derived and planning process by the enterprise. The researcher effect can also be helpful for national governments in terms of decision-making. Originality/Value: The literature review shows that most of the authors have focused on analyzing the situation of the road transport branch in China, while the impact of the coronavirus on road transport in Europe has not been studied to a more significant extent so far. The study of the case involves Polish transport enterprises making up the second-largest carrier in the Community when the size of its rolling stock and transport tasks is compared to that of other states. The consequences of the pandemic on road cargo transport by Polish carriers indicate the impact of COVID-19 on the economic situation of similar enterprises from other European Union states.

Quantitative analysis of optimum corrective fuel tax for road vehicles in Bangladesh: achieving the greenhouse gas reduction goal

This study estimates optimum corrective fuel taxes for Bangladesh and correlates them with climate change policy. First, we use the European road transport emission model (COPERT IV) to precisely estimate the externalities. Second, using the same model, we also estimate the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions caused by the fuel tax. Finally, we develop a correlation between the fuel tax rate and emissions reduction. Our benchmark calculation of the optimum corrective tax is US$0.94 per gallon for gasoline and US$1.46 per gallon for diesel (in 2016 prices). We find that congestion and accident externalities are the two main fuel tax components for Bangladesh. We also find that the net social welfare gain per year is US$302.11 million and the net revenue gain per year is 3.59% of GDP. The corrective diesel tax reduces fuel consumption by 18.10% and increases fuel efficiency by 12.53%. In the benchmark case, corrective fuel taxes reduce GHG emissions by 5.77%. With the combination of the existing gasoline tax and a diesel tax of US$1.20 per gallon, the country’s greenhouse gas reduction goal can be achieved. Policymakers can use fuel taxes to support climate change policy.

Analysis of the Effects of Electrification of the Road Transport Sector on the Possible Penetration of Nuclear Fusion in the Long-Term European Energy Mix

The European Roadmap towards the production of electricity from nuclear fusion foresees the potential availability of nuclear fusion power plants (NFPPs) in the second half of this century. The possible penetration of that technology, typically addressed by using the global energy system EUROFusion TIMES Model (ETM), will depend, among other aspects, on its costs compared to those of the other available technologies for electricity production, and on the future electricity demand. This paper focuses on the ongoing electrification process of the transport sector, with special attention devoted to road transport. A survey on the present and forthcoming technologies, as foreseen by several manufacturers and other models, and an international vehicle database are taken into account to develop the new road transport module, then implemented and harmonized inside ETM. Following three different storylines, the computed results are presented in terms of the evolution of the road transport demand in the next decades, fleet composition and CO 2 emissions. The ETM results are in line with many other studies. On one hand, they highlight, for the European road transport energy consumption pattern, the need for dramatic changes in the transport market, if the most ambitious environmental goals are to be pursued. On the other hand, the results also show that NFPP adoption on a commercial scale could be justified within the current projection of the investment costs, if the deep penetration of electricity in the road transport sector also occurs.

Natural Gas and Biomethane in the European Road Transport: The Latvian Perspective

Abstract The European Union (hereafter – the EU) takes a strong position in the global fight against climate changes by setting ambitious targets on reduction of greenhouse gas (hereafter – GHG) emissions. A binding target is to reduce those emissions by at least 40 % below 1990 levels till 2030, which would help make Europe the first climate neutral continent by the mid-21st century. Consequently, the expected 2050 emission reduction target for the EU is 80 %–90 % below 1990 levels. The EU’s new economy decarbonisation framework – The European Green Deal – outlines and summarises Europe’s ambition to become a world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050. This supposedly can be achieved by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities across all policy areas and making the energy transition just and inclusive for all. The transport, and particularly road transport, is one of the most significant fossil fuel dependent segments of national economies across the EU. Oil dependency of all segments of the transport sector makes it the single biggest source of GHG emissions in the united Europe as well. Road transport is responsible for about 73 % of total transport GHG emissions, as Europe’s more than 308.3 million road vehicles are over 90 % reliant on conventional types of oil-based fuels (diesel, gasoline etc.). However, there is a wide range of low-emission alternative fuels for all kinds of transport that can reduce overall oil dependence of the EU’s transport sector and significantly lower GHG in road transport. Among these alternatives a tandem of the natural gas and biomethane could be named as one of the most promising for short and mid-term transport decarbonisation solutions both in the EU and Latvia.

EU road vehicle energy consumption and CO2 emissions by 2050 – Expert-based scenarios

To inform long-term policies on transport decarbonisation, the present paper analyses European road transport CO2 emission reduction options by 2050. The investigation focusses on measures improving tank to wheel vehicle efficiency, but takes into account upstream emissions of electric vehicles. Measures for vehicle efficiency improvement, transport smoothing, and transport reduction, as well as possible 2050 road vehicle fleet compositions have been quantified through expert group discussion and combined with fleet impact modelling to calculate scenario results.Outcomes show that tank to wheel road transport CO2 emission reductions up to 90% versus 1990 could be reached by 2050 through strong fleet electrification and if all measures achieve their best potential. Under ambitious fleet electrification scenarios, CO2 reduction of more than 60% is reached without measures, but causes substantial additional demand for low-carbon electricity, the availability of which is not covered in this paper. It is likely that policies will be a prerequisite for fleet electrification and efficiency increases of the order of magnitude assumed. Moreover, upstream CO2 emissions of electricity for battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could add up to 40% of tank to wheel emissions, suggesting that complementary policies are needed to avoid shifting transport emissions to other sectors.

The role of electricity in decarbonizing European road transport – Development and assessment of an integrated multi-sectoral model

Despite regulation efforts, CO2 emissions from European road transport have continued to rise. Increased use of electricity offers a promising decarbonization option, both to fuel electric vehicles and run power-to-x systems producing synthetic fuels. To understand the economic implications of increased coupling of the road transport and electricity sectors, an integrated multi-sectoral partial-equilibrium investment and dispatch model is developed for the European electricity and road transport sectors, linked by an energy transformation module to endogenously account for, e.g., increasing electricity consumption and flexibility provision from electric vehicles and power-to-x systems. The model is applied to analyze the effects of sector-specific CO2 reduction targets on the vehicle, electricity and power-to-x technology mix as well as trade flows of power-to-x fuels in European countries from 2020 to 2050. The results show that, by 2050, the fuel shares of electricity and power-to-x fuels in the European road transport sector reach 37% and 27%, respectively, creating an additional electricity demand of 1200 TWh in Europe. To assess the added value of the integrated modeling approach, an additional analysis is performed in which all endogenous ties between sectors are removed. The results show that by decoupling the two sectors, the total system costs may be significantly overestimated and the production costs of power-to-x fuels may be inaccurately approximated, which may affect the merit order of decarbonization options.

Skills and Training Requirements for the Future Transportation Sector of Europe

More than 10 million people are directly employed by the transport industry in Europe, accounting for 4.5 % of total employment and representing 4.6 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This fact, combined with the rapid developments and changes of the sector, makes imperative the need to create, attract and retain appropriate staff. As the overall trend is to increase automation, the sector will depend more and more on specialised equipment and products. Future jobs will therefore require new and advanced skills in engineering as well as in back office operations, but at the same time, the growing interdisciplinary elements of transport activities will also require transport professionals with developed skills in safety, security, logistics, IT, behavioural sciences, marketing and economics. The European Research project SKILLFUL has developed a structured foresight into the vocational and academic qualifications in the Transportation sector of the future and has proposed training schemes and their supportive business models that could ideally be adopted European-wide, to enhance employability and sustainable industrial development in the transportation sector in Europe. The identification of future requirements constituted the basis of the project. The impact of new technologies and game changers, as well as emphasis on intermodality and interdisciplinarity on employability and future worker skills, have led to the development of relevant scenarios on future jobs knowledge and skills requirements, regarding the road transport in Europe. This has led to the identification and design of proper and specific curricula for training (with emphasis on middle-skilled professionals and lifelong learning), while also to the introduction of six novel concepts of business actors, expected to facilitate the training process and enhance the transport-education chain. The project goes a step beyond by addressing also critical issues towards a PanEuropean master curriculum on transport.