A new report from the Transport Research Innovation Portal (TRIP) points the way forward for the deployment of clean transport in Europe.
The European Commission-funded Research Theme Analysis Report: Cleaner Transport identifies priority research areas to unlock the full environmental, economic and social benefits of low carbon mobility.
It compiles outcomes from over €2.8 billion worth of clean transport research and innovation projects throughout the EU and focuses on several priority areas of clean transport research:
- alternative fuels
- modal shift
- electromobility
- low-emissions logistics
- vehicle design and manufacture ' aviation and maritime
- vehicle design and manufacture ' road and rail
- automation
- modern infrastructure
The report finds that demonstrable progress has been made in implementing innovative clean transport technologies and alternative fuels in Europe, including a significant increase in the deployment of biofuels for road transport. It also shows that softer measures to encourage passengers to adopt lower emission options are leading to tangible CO2 reductions.
Speaking about the report, TRIP lead analyst Gareth Horton said: 'The new report reveals areas where technology and policy development are leading to multi-modal emissions reduction, including in passenger cars, public transport, shipping and air travel.
'It also suggests directions for Europe's researchers and policy makers to focus on, to unlock the full benefits of clean and sustainable transport'
These areas for future research include expanding alternative fuels beyond passenger cars to include aviation and shipping. The rapidly growing sector of autonomous driving and the conditions under which it could support cleaner mobility is also highlighted as an important target for research.
The report draws on research projects submitted to TRIP, an online portal for transport professionals from across Europe to share the outcomes of their research.
In September 2017, the European Commission launched the Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS), an evolution of TRIP which it replaces, and incorporates the latter's database of over 10,000 EU and national transport research projects.
TRIMIS will analyse the effectiveness of transport innovation in delivering the EU's energy and transport strategy, by supporting the EU's Strategic Transport Research and Innovation Agenda (STRIA).
Research Theme Analysis Report: Cleaner Transport is free to download here
To find out more about TRIMIS, to sign up to regular transport research and innovation updates or to submit your research to the new online portal, visit https://trimis.ec.europa.eu/.
