Trucks
Whether it's meeting customer demands, fulfilling regulatory requirements or accomplishing one’s own sustainability targets, logistics and haulage companies are under pressure to reduce their carbon emissions. But what is the best way to achieve this?
Reducing emissions from transportation is a growing challenge, not only for the transporters themselves, but also for many of their customers. Many transport buyers have set themselves ambitious science-based targets, and being successful will require reducing downstream emissions in areas such as transportation and logistics.
Being able to offer transport with lower emissions is not only a competitive advantage – it’s fast becoming a necessity. The challenge can seem daunting, but the good news is that there is more than one way to reduce the carbon footprint of your business.
How can different fossil fuels, renewable fuels and transitional fuels help you?
The fastest way to reduce carbon emissions is to switch from fossil-based diesel to alternatives like low carbon electricity, bio-LNG, HVO or biodiesel (B100). But the reality is that the cost and availability of each of these alternatives can vary greatly between markets, and for many businesses, these may not be viable options yet.
However, changing fuels does not need to be a clean break and can be a stepwise process. Between diesel and fully renewable alternatives, there are a number of transitional fuels that will enable immediate carbon reductions in the short term, while positioning your business to make a complete switch in the long term.
For example, despite being a fossil fuel, LNG can result in an immediate CO2 reduction of around 15-20% compared to diesel.[1] A truck running on LNG also opens the opportunity to use renewable bio-LNG as it becomes more readily available, thus enabling you to reduce CO2 emissions to virtually zero.
Another alternative is to blend renewable fuels such as HVO and biodiesel with diesel in conventional internal combustion engines. Like LNG, this will not eliminate all CO2 emissions, but it will achieve a reduction. And over time it could be possible to increase the blend until the diesel has been completely replaced.
The difference between well-to-wheel and tank-to-wheel emissions – and why it matters
When looking at the carbon emissions and climate impact of any given fuel source or driveline, it’s important to know which emissions are being measured. If its tank-to-wheel (TTW) emissions, then it is just the tailpipe emissions from the truck itself when in use. Well-to-wheel (WTW) emissions on the other hand, include emissions from the fuel’s extraction, refinement, production and delivery.
For instance, an electric truck will have zero TTW emissions, However, its WTW emissions can vary greatly depending on whether the electricity used is produced using coal – or at the other end of the spectrum, renewable energy. When it comes to HVO and biodiesel, WTW emissions will vary depending on the feedstock used in production. This is a question that should be followed up with your local fuel supplier.
To determine a truck’s full climate impact over its lifetime and how it is affected by its fuel source, is to calculate a life-cycle assessment (LCA). This will help you create a more complete picture of your carbon footprint and can guide you in reducing your carbon emissions.
To calculate your truck’s environmental impact, you can use Volvo Trucks’ environmental footprint calculator, which is based on Volvo’s LCAs.
How focusing on small CO2 savings can help achieve a big reduction
Minimizing fuel consumption has long been essential for running an efficient fleet – and it remains so, as it has a direct correlation to CO2 emissions too. Securing good aerodynamics and rolling resistance on a vehicle has a positive impact on its carbon footprint, so it’s good to specify aerodynamic designs and features such as spoilers, air deflectors and chassis fairings. This includes the trailer – you need to optimize the full vehicle combination to unlock its potential.
When it comes to rolling resistance, it is essential to have the right tires fitted. Tires are graded for rolling resistance, with class A offering the lowest rolling resistance and best energy efficiency, and G offering the least. Maintaining optimal tire pressure and wheel alignment will improve efficiency further. In fact, good maintenance more generally will ensure optimal efficiency and performance, by avoiding clogged air and oil filters, and fuel leaks.
Some of these measures in isolation might only result in a minor drop in your carbon footprint. However, when combined, all the small savings can quickly add up to a significant reduction.
There are many opportunities, available already today, to reduce your business’s carbon footprint.
How new technologies are creating ways to reduce carbon emissions
Connectivity and data are playing an increasingly important role in reducing climate impact. There are connected services that can help you track fuel consumption and CO2 emissions across entire fleets and individual trucks. This makes it easier to identify specific areas for improvement, and then apply driver training more effectively.
There are connected services that can help you to support the driver with real-time coaching while they are driving, for example letting them know when they’re braking too harshly or idling for too long. Or you can invest in driver training, which will help improve driving techniques across the fleet.
There are also connected fleet management services that can facilitate real-time planning and route optimization. This helps drivers complete their assignments as quickly and efficiently as possible, with minimal CO2 emissions.
By utilizing all these different services combined with driver training, you can not only lower your climate footprint but also reduce your costs.
Why you shouldn’t wait for new technologies when you can act now
With the whole industry undergoing a technological shift, and with many carbon reduction targets seemingly years away, it can be tempting to take a wait-and-see approach. But if you wait for new charging stations to be built or hydrogen trucks to be launched, you risk being left behind. Many companies with ambitious climate reduction targets are already looking for transport partners who can contribute to lowering their carbon footprint today. Transporters who have already minimized their emissions have a clear competitive advantage.
No one expects the whole industry to decarbonize overnight – but there are already multiple ways you can start bringing your overall emissions down.
¹Jozef Gnap and Marek Dočkalik, ‘Impact of the operation of LNG trucks on the environment’, De Gruyter Brill, 4 October 2021, https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/eng-2021-0096/html
