THE TRANSPORT SECTOR ADAPTS TO RENEWABLE SOURCES

Jun 29, 2022
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In recent years, energy sources have become increasingly important in the public debate on environmental protection. At a European level, efforts have been made for a long time to promote an increasing use of renewable sources and to stop using fossil fuels, which are responsible for CO2 emissions into the air and, consequently, for the ongoing climate change.

This is why the electric car market is flourishing and expanding exponentially, preparing for the abandonment of traditional fuels. The environmental benefits associated with the use of an electric car, recharged with renewable energy, are in fact numerous.

According to the recent report by AEA (European Environment Agency), to heal the planet and protect the environment, it is necessary to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change, drastically reducing the consumption of natural resources.

At the moment, we already have the knowledge and technologies necessary to make the main production and consumption systems sustainable, including mobility and energy.

 

 

RENEWABLE SOURCES BETWEEN THE PRODUCTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AND SPECULATION

Mobility, powered by fossil fuels, according to the Mal'Aria report by Legambiente, only in Italy, is responsible for the pollution of at least 35 provincial capitals. Specifically, the cities in question, with a daily average diffusion of fine particles exceeding 50 micrograms/cubic meter (Pm10), have exceeded the limit set by the European Directive.

This is a wake-up call, which can be avoided by opting for green mobility.

Therefore, choosing an electric car and powering it with energy produced 100% from renewable sources is the best way to go in the right direction.

 

Fossil fuel extraction platforms
Efforts have been made to promote an increasing use of renewable sources and to stop using fossil fuels.

 

Nowadays, man's dependence on energy sources with high CO2 emissions is still considerable. From transportation to domestic heating and electricity, we continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels and other processes deriving from them to lead our daily lifestyle.

In the United States, for example, 80% of all energy is generated from fossil fuels. Energy dependence increases in direct proportion to the economic growth of developing countries, where the improvement of the quality of life in turn increases the demand for energy.

Therefore, a transition towards a way of producing energy that is more environmentally, as well as socially acceptable, becomes necessary. The good news is that the transition has already begun. The transport sector contributes 20% to total global greenhouse gas emissions.

This is particularly due to the fossil fuel-intensive vehicles that many of us use daily, emitting greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere. If we combine the transition to renewable energies with a general shift to low-consumption vehicles, such as bicycles and electric vehicles, both private and public, we could greatly contribute to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Increases in fuel prices have pushed the market towards renewables

Over the last year, the price at diesel station for fuel for motor vehicles has risen by 20,7%, with an impact of higher costs of 535 million euros for micro and small goods transport companies. A blow that entirely affects profit margins and company added value, considering that producer prices in freight transport, in the third quarter of 2021, are down by 1,2% compared to the previous year.

What has hit the world of road transport is a frightening hurricane. Discontent is widespread in the territories, among companies, and is generating episodes of anger that could lead to uncontrolled protests.

There is a real risk that it is more convenient to turn off the engines rather than continue traveling. This sector is fundamental for the Italian economy. In our country, over the 80% of goods travel by road, and the vehicles in the worst stages of the pandemic have continued to travel, guaranteeing the supply of primary goods.

 

The price at the diesel station is increased by 20%
The transport sector contributes 20% to total global greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Thousands of operators have been struggling with the rise in fuel prices for a year and a half. This increase in prices has gone very fast in the last months and shows no signs of slowing down.

The dizzying increases in raw materials, electricity and gas, in fact, also concern diesel fuel, which is still largely the most popular fuel.

We are talking about generalized increases of over 25% in one year that the sector cannot systematically overturn on its customers. And, therefore, they end up falling entirely on the already tight profit margins of companies.

 

How much have the progressive increases affected the pockets of consumers?

But what happens now with the new increase and how do European citizens respond to these additional costs to be faced? After the increase in the cost of electricity and gas, especially in Italy, we run for cover as we can and find ingenious remedies seems more than necessary.

A survey commissioned by Facile.it to mUp Research shows that almost 1 in 2 Italians have decided to reduce car use in the last three months. According to the study data, in fact, 46% of the interviewed sample decided to reduce the use of cars, especially in their free time, with the aim of saving money.

Obviously, the strategies adopted by citizens from all over Europe are different: in fact, in 47% of cases, equal to about 120 million individuals, declared to pay more attention in the choice of the petrol pump, while almost 1 in 3 motorists have changed their driving style by adopting one suitable for reducing fuel consumption. The way you drive, in fact, greatly affects fuel consumption and having a “heavy” or “lighter” foot on the accelerator can make the difference.

 

 

THE FUTURE STARTS FROM THE ELECTRIC

When we think of building a more sustainable future, we should not only think of electric mobility as a new ecological means of transport, but rather to the energy system as a whole.

Only in this way will it be possible to recognize the key role of electric transport, both as a type of eco-sustainable mobility accessible to billions of people around the world, and as a system capable of regulating and balancing electricity distribution networks, powered by renewable sources.

 

Renewable sources, key role of electric transport
A sustainable future implies the choice of a different energy production system as a whole.

 

In other words, electric mobility is a key element of the transition to more socially and environmentally fair electric companies of the future. Achieving a greater share of renewable sources in the global energy mix or adopting a fully electric transport system will not be an easy task. But the hope is concrete and is nurtured by community projects and by companies operating in the field.

Electricity has been a means of mobility for nearly two centuries. Battery-powered cars existed even before the invention of the combustion engine, not to count trains and trams. Today a new era is about to begin. And according to experts, electricity will be increasingly widespread in all sectors of transport.

Until a few years ago, in the field of transport, electricity was mainly associated with trains, trams and trolley buses. These vehicles have recently been joined by electric cars, e-bikes and other more agile solutions for individual mobility, such as electric scooters.

But that's not all. In the coming years, boats and airplanes powered by electric motors will also become more common.

In Germany, the first section of the motorway has been activated where some special trucks can recharge their batteries while driving. It is a 5-kilometer stretch near Frankfurt, built to explore the potential of so-called electric highways. The trucks connect to the power source through a pantograph similar to that of trains that comes out of the cabin roof. The connection and disconnection process takes only a few seconds and can be done easily, even at 90 km/h.

Also in Germany, a similar technology is also being tested for hybrid trucks. It's called eHighway and was installed between Weiterstadt and Mörfelden-Walldorf, taking inspiration from a Swedish system. Indeed, in Sweden, in June 2016, a stretch of motorway dedicated to electric trucks was activated, which generally consume half the energy of traditional ones, with an 80/90% reduction in emissions.

 

Changes in energy supply habits

About 13% of the total number of owners of private vehicles could immediately buy an electric means of transport, without changing their habits, having the realistic availability of a domestic recharging point, and balancing costs compared to a gasoline car in less than 8 years (with current state incentives on purchase and road tax).

This is the conclusion of a survey conducted by researchers from the MOVE laboratory of the Milan Polytechnic.

 

Electric highways and renewable sources
In Germany, the first section of the motorway where special trucks can recharge while driving.

 

The results were obtained by combining an analysis of distances, an in-depth economic evaluation of the purchase of an electric car and a geographical analysis of the positioning of the home or company to quantify the probability of actually having a domestic recharging point (private or shared).

According to the analysis of the distances, as many as 50% of private vehicles never make daily trips with a distance greater than the autonomy of the car battery (assumed to be approximately 300 km effective), over the whole year.

According to the analysis of the distances, the 50% of private vehicles never make daily trips with a distance greater than the autonomy of the car battery (assumed to be approximately 300 km effective), over the whole year. Thus making the switch to electric feasible, without any change of habits, without any limitation of use.

The study then analyzed in detail this 50% of vehicles functionally ready for a switch to electric, through an in-depth economic evaluation (purchase costs, energy costs, car tax and insurance costs, devaluation, etc.) of a electric car compared to a petrol equivalent.

By introducing this constraint, the percentage of total vehicles in the car fleet that are “immediately ready” to purchase an electric car was estimated to be 13%.

 

The future of electricity on the horizon of renewable sources

One of the objectives imposed on member states by the European Union was to reach 17% of energy produced from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, by 2020. Italy has largely succeeded by reaching the share of 17.8% of clean energy.

A surprising result if we think about how many times Italy has missed out on important opportunities for growth due to its bureaucratic slowness and the lack of adequate infrastructure compared to the best EU countries.

Developing the energy industry as much as possible (renewable sources) also means investing in electric mobility, understood today not only as electric cars but also city mobility on electric scooters, bikes and buses.

Remaining on the subject of electric cars, it should be noted that in the short term it is more sustainable than that with an internal combustion engine because it does not create additional local CO2 emissions, making it actually more efficient.

An electric engine, in fact, has an efficiency greater than 90% compared to a maximum 30% for a petrol engine, reaching 40% through a petrol/electric hybrid system.

From the point of view of gaseous emissions, the advantage of the electric car is to have zero emissions, so they are suitable for use in the city, because they favour the reduction of the local pollution rate, the first danger to the health of citizens.

 

Renewable sources for autonomous supply
Developing the energy industry as much as possible also means investing in electric mobility.

 

Let's imagine the big cities without traditional means but with the exclusive presence of public and private transport with electric propulsion.

We do not know if the sky would return to the blue as it once was, also due to other polluting elements such as obsolete domestic heating systems, but the air would probably become healthier and more breathable in the short term, making the city more liveable.

Unfortunately, however, it is not all that simple, because if it is true that at the local level emissions drop to zero to power the electric car, somewhere it is necessary to produce electricity, and if the production is not obtained from renewable sources, it moves only pollution from one place to another.

Therefore, it is desirable that:

  • Producing renewable energy on a large scale (large plants) can help and supply the national electricity system
  • Producing domestic renewable energy, favouring microgeneration, for example our vertical micro-wind power plant, would help because it would reduce the energy demand from the central grid.

If we can imagine hundreds of thousands of buildings (homes and offices) powered by solar and domestic wind power, we can understand the amount of energy that would be required less from the national grid, that is, energy that we can subtract from energy production from fossil sources.

 

 

“NEW GENERATION” COMPANIES BETWEEN ELECTRICITY AND RENEWABLE SOURCES

How can management savings have a positive effect on user costs?

Choosing the greenest option in the transport sector would not only make the trip more environmentally friendly, but also less expensive. In fact, the maintenance and running costs for electric trucks are much lower than those that run on fuel.

This is explained by the research from DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California.

The two institutes took as an example class 8 trucks that still had an internal combustion engine and studied the benefits of replacing them with electric counterparts.

Considering, then, the current cost of a battery pack, which with a single charge guarantees a range of 600 kilometers, they found that 13% of the total cost of ownership would be saved for each mile traveled (about 1,5 km).

Translated into dollars, this would be $200,000 in savings over the life of the vehicle, from the initial investment.

Furthermore, the research also shows that, by reducing the production costs of the batteries, it could be possible to save as much as 50% of the total cost of ownership per kilometers traveled.

 

Latest generation batteries
In the near future, batteries will be used that need to be recharged more often but very quickly.

 

Finally, Nykvist and Olsson did another study which they expose in their article “The feasibility of heavy battery electric trucks”. Regarding the problem of too heavy batteries, the two believe that the times we live in are favorable for an acceleration of their development.

The goal would be to create fast charging techniques. In this way, you could have fewer batteries on board, charging them more often but, they underline, very quickly. In this regard, they have shown that fast charging at high power would allow an economic performance that improves as the weight of the electric vehicle increases.

In short, energy savings would be directly proportional to the size of the truck and, that is, as one grows, the other also grows. Therefore, if we take into account the transport of containers, which are very heavy, this solution seems to be really optimal.

 

Intermodal transport between road and electricity thanks to renewable sources

Today, intermodal transport (also called combined when it involves two or more modes, such as road, rail, sea) mainly takes place in two ways.

In the first case with the help of the container which is hooked from time to time, with the aid of specific equipment, as needed, on a special truck, on a railway wagon or on the deck of a ship.

The second case, mostly used over medium distances, involves loading the goods on a road semi-trailer. The transfer of the same to a nearby railway station, the subsequent transfer by train or ship, to a station close to the destination, and finally the last stretch, to carry out the delivery of goods, again carried out by road.

Sustainable mobility, taking advantage of intermodality, has become one of the main ways to reduce air pollution and noise, reduce energy consumption from fossil fuels, protect health and public spaces.

The advantages concern the environment, people, the economy and society as a whole, because a mobility revolution is capable of triggering that ecological transition that has become increasingly urgent.

 

Electric mobility and renewable sources
Electric mobility is a key element of the transition to electric companies.

 

We are facing a real “Copernican revolution”.

It is a twist for the world of transport and automotive. Electric vehicles have very different safety rules from those running on diesel, petrol or methane and must be handled with specific precautions. So we need to gear up and train to be ready for this new “revolution”.

The cultural change we are facing requires the various actors, institutions, individuals, banks, to interact with each other to create a system in which everyone can contribute with what is their responsibility.

The electrification of transport requires institutions to make a significant commitment to the adaptation of infrastructure, which passes through the aerial power supply, the underground power supply and that of the electricity columns.

An EU directive, which has already been approved, establishes that starting from 2025, therefore in a few years, only electric trucks will have to circulate, which will have completely different components and technology from the current one. No more engine, no more gearbox, no more differential and no more brakes.

It is clear that the way to go is that of intermodality, that is, the interpenetration of all forms of transport, as well as their efficiency.

 

Trasauto Logistica and route management for the benefit of consumers

We at Trasauto Logistica have based our work on the creation and development of strategies to optimize the transport of goods and avoid waste by reducing the kilometers traveled by road vehicles.

A simple solution with an immediate impact in reducing CO2 emissions and developing more sustainable logistics.

We firmly believe that electric vehicles are essential for decarbonising transport and improving air quality.

A green transformation of our logistics and transport company also involves digitization. For some time now, there has been talk of softwares capable of providing real-time updates on the correct composition of a freight load in order to rationalize the loading of trucks and containers.

Optimizing the load plan will also proportionally reduce the number of vehicles used, reducing both costs and environmental impact.

Each shipment transferred by rail reduces energy consumption and contributes to climate protection.

On average, in fact, intermodal transport reduces CO2 emissions by 55% compared to road transport alone.

 

Trasauto Logistica softwares for the rationalization of shipments
Trasauto Logistica uses softwares capable of rationalizing the loading of trucks and containers.

 

We are sure that everyone must do their part by helping to reduce CO2 emissions.

As far as we are concerned, we are taking steps to increase combined transport, using, among other things, the latest generation vehicles.

If you are looking for a partner to rely on for your shipment, Trasauto Logistica is the right choice. In our business idea, we have always cared about the health of the planet and have always been committed to tackling air pollution.

Fill in the contact form and request a free quote.

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Or, for personalized assistance, you can call the offices in Italy at: +39 (0)828 1818150

or request more information also by e-mail: info@trasauto.com

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