The Department for Transport, which provides leadership across the transport sector in the United Kingdom and covers issues that range from transport safety and security to emissions, recently published a report on how to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

The report, which was published on the same day as the UK government's Plan for the Low Carbon Transition and the related transport strategy called “A Greener Future for Transport,” says that biogas, biofuels, and hydrogen are the top fuel technologies with greatest life cycle CO2 benefit.

The study is divided into themes. The vehicle theme deals with driver behaviour, improving aerodynamics, and reducing rolling resistance, while the power train theme is all about engine efficiency, waste heat recovery, alternative power trains, and transmission. The fuel theme classifies alternative fuel opportunities and ways of generating biodiesel.

Vehicle technologies that offer the greatest CO2 reduction potential are electric bodies, vehicle platooning, and aerodynamic trailers, while electric vehicles and full hybrids top the power train technology category, but not without limitations.

The study also assessed factors such as CO2 benefits, technology costs, environmental costs, safety, and the technology’s development in the market.

- Sunshine T. Santiago