Road transportation has been recognised as one of the big sources of pollution. We are yet to be out of dependency on fossil-based automobile fuels – although it is well known that air pollutants released by those cause harm to our health and Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) emitted from the sector contribute to climate deterioration.
Just to have some idea of the severity of the challenge: in Europe, the complete transport sector is responsible for about one-fourth of the total greenhouse gas emissions – and around three-fourth of that arises out of road transportation.
According to International Energy Agency (IEA), Road transport presently accounts for 12% of India’s energy-related CO2 emissions and is a key contributor to urban air pollution. As India seeks to meet the increasing demand for private mobility and the transport of goods, energy use and CO2 emissions from road transport could double by 2050.
Under such circumstances, with a view to making the road transport sector more environment-friendly, many an initiative is being taken up worldwide. Road transport vehicle (Trucks, Lorries and others) manufacturers are also taking initiatives to make the sector environment-friendly. In this article, I will try to present a few of such recent developments.
A good initiative from the transport carriage manufacturers
Although Volvo Group and Renault Group will remain competitors in all other areas, recently, they have joined forces to address the growing needs of decarbonized and efficient logistics by creating a new company managing the development of an all-new generation of electrified vans. The two groups are now looking forward to CMA CGM joining the new company. Renault and Volvo will continue to seek additional investment and business partners.
According to their plan, an all-new family of fully electric and software defined vehicles will be introduced by the new company. The production is expected to start in 2026.
The vehicles will be built on a new fully electric LCV skateboard platform that will offer high modularity for different body types at low cost and breakthrough on safety requirements.
Adopting the new Software Defined Vehicle architecture, the vehicle will onboard unprecedent capabilities to monitor the delivery activity and user business performance – reducing the global cost of usage for the logistic players by thirty percent. The connected services enabled by the software defined vehicle technology will offer to the customers up to date vehicles all lifelong. The van itself will offer outstanding compacity for urban mobility, high polyvalence for tailor made solutions, different battery capacities with unprecedented 800V feature for vans.
The new company will be fully independent, combining the agility of a start-up with the strong backbone of its industry-leading partners. Renault Group and Volvo Group aim to share investments in research and development and bring benefit of existing know-how, services, and industrial footprint to the new planned company. With smart capital allocations through the champions in each field, the new company will be based on a solid and efficient business model.
As a global champion of Light Commercial Vehicle and innovative leader in electric vehicle, Renault Group will bring the know how to develop and manufacture at scale the electric platform that will onboard its first Software Defined Vehicle architecture, offering unprecedent experience to connect in open source the vehicle to the logistic business environment.
Volvo Group is a global leader in trucks with a strong customer base of professional logistic companies, a global service network, and a wide experience in uptime and productivity services. Such services will, in combination with the innovative vehicle platform, contribute to a full solution for decarbonized urban logistics.
As a global player on all segments of the supply chain, CMA CGM will assist the new company in building appropriate solutions that can fit all transport and supply chain players’ needs, based on end-to-end efficient solutions. CMA CGM will also bring its know-how of a world logistic player, improving the solutions and B2B offers that will address the needs of all logistic players.
The joint venture is scheduled to start operations early 2024, depending on the completion of all regulatory approval processes. The subsequent entry of CMA CGM in the company is equally subject to the completion of regulatory approval process.
This project was submitted in response to a France 2030 call for projects, in line with the objectives of innovation and electrification. The future company has been planned to operate under its own corporate identity – and will be based in France.
Source: Theromo King
Renault Trucks’ MD has taken a pioneering step
Road Freight Transport is a sector responsible for seven per cent of CO2 emissions in Europe, where Renault Trucks is a key player. Recently through a seven-part webseries titled “The Good Move, committed to decarbonisation,” Bruno Blin, President of Renault Trucks, has started delivering a first insight and explaining how his company is getting organised and making significant changes to rapidly and drastically reduce its carbon footprint.
Renault Trucks, a company that manufactures trucks found on roads worldwide. Blin’s opening words to the web series were, “Global warming is a reality and we are all individually responsible for our decisions and actions. What does this mean for me?”
Declaring their responsibility, Blin said, “We are part of the problem, which means that we have a fundamental role to play in solving it. Because we can no longer be satisfied with baby steps, at Renault Trucks we have made commitments to decarbonise our industry and conserve resources, with many concrete actions already in place. Of course, a lot still remains to be done.”
In the documentary (First episode in the series, uploaded on Nov 08, 2023: https://bit.ly/47B46ol), Blin, accompanied by a company employee (Pauline Follin, Legal Counsel and Planet Champion), has met the experts: a battery recycling professional, a plant director, an urban logistics specialist, as well as a glaciologist and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). They all share the same desire to collectively embrace change – in practices, models, and above all, mindsets – because the answer to the climate challenge lies in collaboration and innovation.
Thermo King’s decarbonization approach
In the face of multiple challenges, Thermo King is helping its customers decarbonize their operations by meeting them where they are in the sustainability journey, providing a wide range of temperature-controlled transport solutions to aid carbon emission reduction efforts.
Their technology empowers users to meet regulatory and sustainability requirements at a pace that works best for business now and moving forward, with a variety of options including: i) high-efficiency diesel TRUs (Transport Refrigeration Units), ii) all-electric TRUs and iii) alternative fuel sources for TRUs (e.g., HVO, hydrogen, and more).
Thermo King shore power infrastructure is currently the quickest way to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons in transport refrigeration fleet operations. However, each fleet has unique needs, and there are several reliable and flexible solutions catered to specific geographies, considering natural advantages and regulatory requirements.
For example, Thermo King ‘evolve’ electrified transport refrigeration solutions help truck, trailer, bus, rail, and marine customers comply with complex regulatory requirements present in certain locales, simplifying the switch to ZE commercial fleets. In these cases, Thermo King manufactures and sells its components with eligibility for government rebates and incentives specifically in mind, while educating its customers regarding ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) initiatives and compliance.
Conclusion
Many other plans have now started taking concrete shapes around the globe. However, most of the losses that we have already undergone are of irreversible nature. Thus, we can now act only to prevent further damage of the climate.
It is a good thing that global road transport vehicle manufacturers are now taking active interest to decarbonise the sector. However, it has to continue as a joint force with ratification from governments.
The most important thing is understanding responsibility at individual level. If the fore-runners of the transport vehicle industry succeed in that, that will be a great step to save the global climate.
By P. K. Chatterjee (PK)
