Indicator Fact Sheet

Energy efficiency for passenger and freight transport

Indicator Fact Sheet

Prod-ID: IND-110-en

Also known as: TERM 027

This is an old version, kept for reference only.

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Topics: Transport

This page was archived on 26 Aug 2017 with reason: A new version has been published

Assessment made on 01 Jan 2001

Generic metadata

Classification

Topics:

Transport

DPSIR: Pressure

Identification

Indicator codes

TERM 027

Contents

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

Figures

Energy use per passenger-km...*

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.