Scania: the future of transport is sustainable and intelligent

Environment · Lorenzo Brenna · 2016-11-28

Scania, which took part in the recent UN climate conference, has announced its intention to lead the shift towards a more sustainable future.

The twenty-second United Nations climate conference (Cop 22) concluded on 19 November. The aim of Cop 22, which convened in Marrakech approximately one year after Cop 21 in Paris, was to make the Agreement signed in France operational — an agreement that entered into force on 4 November and aims to keep the increase in average global temperature below two degrees Celsius.

Conferenza sul clima Onu — Among the decisions approved at the close of Cop 22 is the obligation for participating countries to take stock of their CO2 emissions within the coming year (Photo credit should read FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)

Scania's commitment to the climate

Scania, the Swedish manufacturer of industrial vehicles, also took part in the conference, which was attended by businesses, NGOs, associations, local authorities and trade unions. The company announced that it will renew its commitment to limiting polluting emissions.

Biofuels, electric vehicles and intelligent transport

"We at Scania are convinced that there are viable paths within our reach and that we can help build a sustainable transport system on a global scale," said Henrik Henriksson, president and CEO of the Swedish company. "This requires alignment with the principles of Scania's broad and holistic vision, and the good news is that the means to do so are widely available. What we need to do is focus on the use of alternative fuels, electrification and intelligent transport systems. And we need to focus on all these areas simultaneously, since each one supports the others."

Strada trafficata — According to the European Environment Agency, transport is responsible for approximately one third of total final energy consumption in EU member states and for more than one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a considerable share of urban air and noise pollution (Photo by Sk Hasan Ali/Corbis via Getty Images)

The role of the transport industry in reducing CO2

The transport sector, one of the most polluting industries, bears a great responsibility in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet the standards set by the Paris Agreement. The emissions reduction target set by the European Union calls for a 40 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2030, and for renewable energy to account for a minimum of 27 per cent of total energy consumption.

Strada intelligente in Francia — In France, smart roads have been developed that are capable of lighting up and melting ice that forms on their surface (Photo credit should read MEHDI FEDOUACH/AFP/Getty Images)

Farewell to fossil fuels by 2050

Through intelligent transport strategies that include load optimisation and route planning, and with a growing reliance on renewable biofuels and electric vehicles, Scania believes that the transport sector can achieve its targets and that the European transport sector could do without fossil fuels by the end of 2050. "There is no time to waste and we are already working with forward-thinking transport companies and their suppliers to adopt fossil fuel reduction measures that are both effective and immediate," Henriksson concluded.