Sustainable fuel vehicles: stats and facts
When we think about green vehicles, battery-electric cars come to mind for many of us. But there are other options for more sustainable fuel sources as we move away from petrol and diesel – these include bio-fuels, e-fuels, and hydrogen cells. Emerging sustainable energy technology is evolving all the time.
In 2019, transport was responsible for 27% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions, but the landscape is changing. In fact, 52% of motorists aged 16-49 have said they’re likely to switch to an all-electric vehicle in the next decade – just in time for the ban of new ICE vehicles due in 2030.
While petrol and diesel vehicles still dominate across most of the world, EVs are gradually catching up, with more than 20 million expected on UK roads alone by 2035. However, internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicles aren’t just going to disappear and something needs to be done to reduce their impact on the planet. This is where synthetic and bio-fuels can play a part. Bio-fuel is already used in the commercial vehicle sector, while many companies and organisations are working to develop a carbon-neutral synthetic fuel that could be used in place of diesel or petrol.
The conversation around fuel is going to become more important as we move towards a greener future. Here are the stats you need to know on sustainable vehicle fuels.
Bio-fuels
The use of renewable bio-fuels cuts down on greenhouse gas, as they are sourced from feedstocks which extract CO2 from the atmosphere. Feedstocks are comprised of crops or wastes (e.g. food waste) that are processed in a way that enables them to behave similarly to propulsion fuels, like petrol and diesel, before being mixed with those fuels.
Here are some useful stats on bio-fuel use in the UK in 2021.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, renewables must account for more than 60% of electricity generation by 2030. (Source: eFuel Alliance)
2,551 million litres equivalent of renewable fuel have been supplied, constituting five per cent of total road and non-road mobile machinery fuel for the year.
Certificates have been issued to 1,849 million litres equivalent under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. Of this, an average greenhouse gas saving of 84% was achieved compared to fossil fuel use.
Biodiesel comprised 52% and bioethanol 30% of the 1,849 million litres equivalent of verified renewable fuel.
96% of biodiesel was produced using cooking oil.
52% of bioethanol was produced from corn.
10% of all verified renewable fuel supplied to the UK was produced from UK origin feedstocks.
Waste feedstocks made up 77% of verified renewable fuel.
E-fuels
Synthetic fuels (commonly called e-fuels) are almost entirely carbon-neutral and have the potential to dramatically reduce the environmental damage caused by producing petrol and diesel.
Porsche plans to ramp up its e-fuel production to 55 million litres by 2024 and 500 million litres by 2026. (Source: Driving)
Although the share of renewables in global electricity generation is growing steadily, it was only 23.2% in 2019. (Source: eFuel Alliance)
Production costs for one litre of e-fuel in 2025, with a 4% blending rate with conventional fuels, are estimated to be between 1.61 and 1.99 euros. By 2050 they may decrease from anywhere between 0.70 to 1.33 euros per litre with a 100% blending rate.
Research shows that e-fuel production could create up to 278,700 new jobs, 18,900 directly and 259,800 indirectly with upstream suppliers. (Source: eFuel Alliance)
An EU-wide blending of only 5% e-fuels in 2030, would result in a saving of 60 million tons of CO2 – equivalent to taking 40 million cars off the road for a year. (Source: eFuel Alliance)
Electric vehicles
The move towards electric vehicles is getting quicker by the day, with many nations working to create the right infrastructure and encourage adoption. Here’s how the EV market is faring in the UK.
Sales of battery electric vehicles increased 88.9% in 2021 compared to 2020. (Source: SMMT)
Battery electric vehicles now make up 10.6% of the overall market share in the UK with petrol at 46.9% and diesel at 8.5%. (Source: SMMT)
March 2022 saw the highest volume of electric vehicle registrations recorded in just one month – 39,315 – an increase of 78.7% compared to March 2021. (Source: heycar)
Charging points in the UK as of May 2022 number 19,945.
Charging devices in the UK as of May 2022 number 32,312 – this is a 32% rise in the number of devices since May 2021.
Charging connectors in the UK as of May 2022 number 53,719. (Source: Zap Map)
Hydrogen vehicles
Hydrogen fuel cells don’t produce any harmful emissions, making hydrogen-fuelled vehicles an exciting option for the future of greener mobility.
There are two ways of using hydrogen in commercial vehicles: with a fuel cell that uses hydrogen to generate electricity to power a motor, and as a fuel that can be added to a combustion engine. Both create a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions if green hydrogen is used. (Source: DAF)
There are 15 public hydrogen fuel stations in the UK.
Perivale is the largest hydrogen fuel station in the UK; it launched in 2021 and has a daily capacity of 1,500 kilograms of H2. (Source: Statista)
As of February 2019, there were 6,558 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles on the road. Currently, these vehicles are only offered in areas with the appropriate refuelling stations. (Source: energy.gov)
Many are suggesting that hydrogen will be the fuel of the future, predicting that 50,000 hydrogen-powered buses and 350,000 hydrogen-powered trucks will be on the motorways by 2030. (Source: Luxfer)
There are currently two hydrogen-fuelled passenger vehicles available to own in the UK: the Hyundai ix35 FCEV and Toyota Mirai. (Source: Next Green Car)
CO2 stats
The need to drive down CO2 production is becoming more clear than ever with many countries working to decarbonise transport and other sectors. Here are some of the numbers behind CO2 production.
Passenger cars produced around three billion metric tons of CO2 emissions worldwide in 2020.
Emissions fell approximately six per cent in 2020 due to the pandemic’s impact on transport. (Source: Statista)
The global transportation sector produced around 7.3 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2020. Passenger cars accounted for 41% of global transportation emissions. (Source: Statista)
The UK has a target in place to cut 78% of its greenhouse gas (including CO2) emissions by 2035. (Source: BBC)
The European Commission has proposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, in order to become climate neutral by 2050. (Source: European Commission)
CO2 in vehicle production
Fortunately, vehicle manufacturers are working hard to remove CO2 from production processes.
European car makers have reduced total CO2 emissions from production by almost 49% since 2005.
CO2 emissions per car produced dropped by 33.1% between 2005 and 2020.
The overall figure decreased by 48.5% during that period.
The greenest cars
In general, vehicles are becoming greener and manufacturers are making great strides to produce the cleanest cars in history.
According to ACEEE’s 12 Greenest Rides on the Road for 2022, the Toyota Prius Prime PHEV is the greenest car on the road with a score of 69. (Source: Forbes)
The most eco-friendly petrol car is the Kia Picanto 1.0, producing 110g of CO2 per kilometre.
The most eco-friendly diesel car is the Renault Clio 1.5 Blue, producing 109g of CO2 per kilometre. (Source: buyacar)
Battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles produce 0g of CO2 per kilometre.
While cost has proven to be a predominant factor in preventing some motorists from adopting EVs just yet, other sustainable fuels could, in the future, fill the gap and enable drivers to make other eco-friendly choices.