Transport sector accounts for almost 30% of all energy consumption globally
Whether moving freight or passengers, transportation plays a major role in our society and economy. There are broadly four different modes of transport – air, road, rail and marine. Demand for transport has been rapidly increasing along with economic growth and is expected to continue to do so well into the future. Currently, the transport sector is one of the largest sources of both greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution because of its heavy reliance on energy-dense oil products, mainly petrol and diesel. Despite the strong pressures to move away from hydrocarbons due to the need to mitigate climate change and national plans to reduce reliance on fuel imports, there has so far been limited success in shifting towards a low carbon transport sector, especially in comparison to achievements in electricity. Shifting to lower carbon fuels in transport is a difficult task since neither batteries nor hydrogen can yet provide energy density levels high enough to substitute for oil products in some use cases. However, policy initiatives in the UK and worldwide are facilitating the shift to lower carbon means of transport, including financial incentives for buying low-emission cars, and various bans announced on future sales of petrol and diesel cars.
A transformation of the transport sector is underway, characterised mainly by three trends: electrification, shared mobility and automation. Widespread integration of electric vehicles to the energy system is expected to have significant systemic impacts, as it can allow the roll-out of smart charging at scale; this can provide additional flexibility for managing the electrical grid. Though this transformation is driven by technological developments and market forces, these changes present opportunities to achieve a more sustainable transportation sector. There is particular potential to reduce transport emissions through changes such as modal shift, behavioural change, vehicle efficiency improvements, the use of low carbon fuels, and new business models.
Learn more about transport by exploring our Energy Insights.
For the latest news and articles on the transport sector read New Energy World.
View our dedicated Collection on Road Fuels.
Around0.0 %
of new vehicles registrations in the UK are electric vehicles as of 2022 (SMMT)
0%
of global CO2 emissions come from transport and it has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector (IEA)
0billion
will be invested to support the development of charging infrastructure in the UK as part of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy (Department of Transport)
0%
of UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 came from transport, making it the highest emitting sector (BEIS)
What's new?
European alternative fuels infrastructure projects set for €1bn of funding
13/03/2024
The EC has launched a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), covering the roll-out of alternative fuels infrastructure for roa...
UK budget extension of windfall profits tax disappoints leading offshore energy industries body OEUK
13/03/2024
David Whitehouse, Chief Executive of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), decried the decision to extend the windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers –...
Construction begins on largest second-generation biofuels plant in southern Europe
06/03/2024
The new plant will produce 500,000 t/y of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (hydrogenated vegetable oil, or HVO), using agricultura...
Ship-based carbon capture demonstration pilot suggests capture rates up to 85% are achievable
28/02/2024
The SBCC demonstration project is being run by the EverLoNG international project consortium*. The technology was installed onboard the Seapeak Arwa, ...
$2tn a year needed to triple global renewables by 2030 and ensure ‘energy for all’
28/02/2024
‘$2tn a year sounds like a cost, but it’s really a choice. We’re set to invest over $6tn in fossil fuels over this decade – more than enough to close ...
Events and training
UK MoD Aviation Fuels Committee Meeting
19/03/2024 - 20/03/2024
The conference for receiving essential guidance and updates on aviation fuel specifications.
Human Factors Foundation - April 2024
15/04/2024 - 19/04/2024
This 5-day course delivers a comprehensive introduction into human factors for non-specialists. It provides a practical, engaging and interactive back...
Delivering Safety Culture Change using the Hearts and Minds Toolkit - April 2024
23/04/2024 - 25/04/2024
This 3-day interactive classroom course with certificate, will teach delegates the fundamentals of improving safety culture using the award-winning He...
Delivering Safety Culture Change using the Hearts and Minds Toolkit - October 2024
08/10/2024 - 10/10/2024
This 3-day interactive classroom course with certificate, will teach delegates the fundamentals of improving safety culture using the award-winning He...
Human Factors Foundation - November 2024
04/11/2024 - 08/11/2024
This 5-day course delivers a comprehensive introduction into human factors for non-specialists. It provides a practical, engaging and interactive back...
Technical guidance publications
Energy Essentials: A guide to hydrogen
2024
Energy Essentials: A guide to hydrogenThis guide is written for everyday energy consumers. It sets out what hydrogen is; how it is made transported an...
Guidance for UK hydrogen safety case development onshore and offshore
2023
The good practice guidance was commissioned by the EI’s Safety Case Working Group for operators who wish to produce, transport, and store hydrog...
Research report: Landscape review of skills needed for an emerging hydrogen based economy
2023
This landscape review of skills has been commissioned by the Energy Institute (EI) as Phase 1 of a multi-phase programme to identify the skills needs ...
Properties and their derivations of commercial transport fuels
2022
The battles for the cleanness and temperature rise limitation of the atmosphere involve the development of a range of alternative fuels that are both ...
Waste to products – Technology and economic assessment (phase 1)
2022
This document is free to download for registered users.The EMG and Soil Wastes and Groundwater group (SWG) of the EI and Concawe have commissioned E4t...