Transport
Transport sector accounts for 25% of all energy consumption in the world
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 records published on our Energy Matrix.
For the latest news and articles on the transport sector read Energy World.
Discover UK professionals' views on decarbonising transport by reading our annual Energy Barometer.
What's new?
Energy Insight: Transport: motor vehicles licensed in Great Britain (DSS19)
7-06-2019
Annual totals for motor vehicles licensed in Great Britain since 1903, by private, goods & public transport.The number of private and light goods vehicles licensed in Great Britan has steadily increased over the 116 years the UK official statistics below show. The only decrease recorded wa...
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Transport snapshots
1-06-2019
Two short articles exploring electric seaplanes and lifeboats.
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Zero emission urban transport workhorses on the way
1-06-2019
Fuel cell electric buses have been operating in day-to-day service in numerous European cities for many years and offer much promise as a mainstream zero emission public transport option. Michael Dolman summarises the status of this innovative technology and considers the outlook for the coming year...
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UK government awards £25mn to fund zero emission transport innovations
15-05-2019
Projects across the UK are set to benefit from £25mn investment to develop ground-breaking zero emission technologies for new vehicles. A boost for green transport, the investment is a key part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, and part of wider efforts towards developing a net zero carbon ec...
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Electric transport revolution set to spread
15-05-2019
Electric vehicles (EVs) are on track to dominate global sales of passenger cars and buses by 2040, and to encroach significantly on the market for vans and short-distance trucking, according to the latest forecast from research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF).Based on analysis of the evolving economics in ...
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Events and training
Supply and distribution: organisation, operations and economics - September 2019
2-09-2019
This 3-day training course is designed for those who are or will be operating in the Supply & Distribution functions and will provide the background knowledge to allow them to take the right decisions on how to supply the network at the right cost.
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NEBOSH International Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety
9-09-2019
This NEBOSH International Technical Certificate in Oil & Gas Operational Safety training will provide students with an industry recognised qualification for individuals with safety responsibilities in the oil and gas industry. The course is available as a 5-day classroom course, E-Learning and I...
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Aviation fuel handling filtration systems
17-09-2019
One-day aviation fuel handling filtration seminar to provide an insight into industry progress in the transition to the use of alternative filtration technologies
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Delivering Safety Culture Change using the Hearts and Minds Toolkit - November 2019
5-11-2019
This 3-day interactive training course and certificate will teach delegates the fundamentals of improving safety culture using the award-winning Hearts and Minds toolkit. It will teach the fundamentals of safety culture change, focusing on the various stages of a culture change programme, from...
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Oil and gas industry fundamentals 3-Day training - November 2019
12-11-2019
This 3-day course is a leading course presented by an industry expert and practitioner. Delegates will cover the key sectors of the oil and gas industry from exploration through to fuel retailing. They will learn about the industry value chain covering conventional and unconventional resources, dril...
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Technical guidance publications
IP 618: Determination of cold filter blocking tendency
2020
This standard specifies a method for the determination of the cold filter blocking tendency (CFBT) and cold filterability of middle distillate fuel oils containing biodiesel from 0 % to 20 %, at temperatures between ambient and -5 °C where the end use demands an exceptional degree of cleanliness...
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EI/JIG Standard 1530 Quality assurance requirements for the manufacture, storage and distribution of aviation fuel to airports (A4)
2019
Jointly published by by JIG (Joint Inspection Group) and the EI.EI/JIG 1530 provides a Standard to assist all parties in the maintenance of aviation fuel quality, from its point of manufacture through to delivery to airports. The Standard includes industry-accepted mandatory provisions and good prac...
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EI/JIG Standard 1530 Quality assurance requirements for the manufacture, storage and distribution of aviation fuel to airports (A5)
2019
Jointly published by by JIG (Joint Inspection Group) and the EI.EI/JIG 1530 provides a Standard to assist all parties in the maintenance of aviation fuel quality, from its point of manufacture through to delivery to airports. The Standard includes industry-accepted mandatory provisions and good prac...
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Guidance on the presence and operation of portable self energised electrical/electronic devices in potentially explosive atmospheres (gas and dust)
2019
This guidance is jointly published by the Energy Institute (EI) and the Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association (EEMUA).This publication provides a practical guide for managing the presence and use of portable self-energised electrical and electronic devices within potentially explosiv...
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Safety notice: Electrical/electronic devices energised by button cells in hazardous areas (potentially explosive atmospheres)
2019
This poster is free to download for all registered users.The Safety Notice/Training Poster is aimed at operators, managers, trainers and staff of petroleum industry facilities which contain hazardous areas and are unsure about the ignition risk that the use of button cell energised devices may pose....
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