Energy efficiency for passenger and freight transport

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Topics: Transport ,

Assessment made on 01 Jan 2001

Note: new version is available!

Jan 24, 2013 - Energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions (TERM 027) - Assessment published Jan 2013
Jan 14, 2011 - Energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions (TERM 027) - Assessment published Jan 2011
Sep 03, 2010 - Energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions (TERM 027) - Assessment published Sep 2010
Apr 21, 2009 - Energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions (TERM 027) - Assessment published Apr 2009
Nov 28, 2005 - Overall energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions for passenger and freight transport
Sep 28, 2003 - Overall energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions for passenger and freight transport
Jun 01, 2002 - Energy efficiency for passenger and freight transport

Generic metadata

Classification

Transport (Primary theme)

DPSIR: Pressure

Identification

Indicator codes

TERM 027

Geographical coverage:

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Contents

Policy issue: Reduce energy use per passenger-km and per tonne-km

Key messages

Not much improvement in energy efficiency of road passenger and freight transport

Figures

Energy use per passenger-km...* Energy use per passenger-km (total car fleet) for selected countries and EU, 1980-1999

Key assessment

Over the past two decades the energy efficiency of car transport (and its specific CO2 emissions) has improved slightly. This is the result of technological advances and the voluntary agreement with the car industry on the reduction of CO2 emissions from new passenger cars. There has been no improvement in the energy efficiency of road freight transport, partly because of low load factors. Trucks consume significantly more energy per tonne-km than rail or ship transport.

Ship and rail transport compares very favourably with road as regards energy efficiency per tonne-km. However, the energy efficiency of rail transport has changed little during the past two decades, suggesting that additional energy saving measures need to be explored even in the rail sector.