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)
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Events and training
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
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Reservoir Microbiology Forum (RMF)
13/11/2024 - 14/11/2024
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Technical guidance publications
Energy Essentials: A guide to hydrogen
2024
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Research report: Global activities in hydrogen development
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This report covers various developmental activities across the hydrogen value chain, encompassing production, transportation/distribution, storage, an...
Guidance on green and low carbon hydrogen production: plant design, construction, operation and maintenance, co-location and other considerations
2024
‘Hydrogen economy’ is an umbrella term used to describe the role that hydrogen plays in the broader economy, including as a fuel, as an en...
Guidance on green and low carbon hydrogen production: plant design, construction, operation and maintenance, co-location and other considerations
2024
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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...