RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALTERNATIVE LIGHT AND HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES IN URBAN COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT

Kurzfassung

European transport policy aims to reduce energy consumption and emission caused by urban road transport. The European regulation has introduced ceilings for limited pollutions to reduce emission from vehicle operation in urban areas. In addition, some regional authorities have started to restrict access of vehicles in town centres to reduce pollution emissions. A possible way to achieve limited pollutants reductions is the deployment of alternative powertrains. The automotive industry has started to introduce such technologies not only for passenger cars but also by light and heavy duty vehicles (LDV, HDV). However, their market share is still small in Germany. The presentation discusses the possibilities that local governments have to support a shift towards clean technologies in commercial transport and to complement national legislation. This includes a range of measures like regulating the access of commercial vehicles to the urban centres or easing the loading/offloading for vehicles with alternative power trains. Further, the presentation explores the question, whether and to what extent the deployment of alternative propulsion technology for commercial vehicles can contribute to future emission reduction in urban areas in Germany. Based on data from the national survey of commercial vehicle use, it offers a calculation of the overall typical daily vehicle kilometres for commercial transport in urban areas by vehicle classes. The vehicle classes comprises light duty vehicles (LDV) up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight and heavy duty vehicles (HDV) from 3.5 till 7.5 tonnes . Based on the overall magnitude of transport kilometres of LDV and HDV, the presentation will turn to the current and potential opportunities of future share of alternative power trains for LDV and HDV and their suitability based on the vehicle owner perspective. An emphasis will be on the use of electrical and hybrid electrical powertrains. It will be derived the risks and opportunities of the vehicle owner or of the fleet managers.