T2.22 - fact sheet http://tyndall.e-collaboration.co.uk/publications/fact_sheets/untitled/t2_...

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Matching transport technologies to social trends in vehicle

usage
Road transport in the United Kingdom is almost wholly dependent on oil. It contributes nearly a quarter of the UK's carbon
dioxide emissions, a percentage that is likely to grow as other sectors improve their energy efficiency and switch to low
carbon fuels. With increasing demand for road transport, radical changes are required in transport technology and patterns
of how vehicles are used. Biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells or hybrid electric-gas powered cars are possible alternatives to
oil-powered transport, but the way forward to such options is uncertain and questions remain about technical feasibility,
costs and risks.

Mr Malcolm Fergusson, from the Institute for European Environmental Policy, and colleagues are matching potential
technologies to social trends in journey types and vehicle use to propose possible pathways to achieving low carbon
vehicles that meet environmental targets. The researchers will conduct a structured review of existing knowledge and
interview transport experts to gain new perspectives on technologies that influence vehicle type and other features such as
control, safety, comfort and navigation. They will then systematically consider how future journey types, driver profiles and
vehicle usage may influence characteristics of the transport system as a whole. They will also consider the range of
influences on vehicle evolution other than climate change, such as oil prices, congestion and noise, and look at potential
barriers to the development of new technologies, such as consumer acceptance and availability of new fuels. The
researchers will integrate these issues to develop pathways to future transport scenarios that align behavioural and
technological developments.

The results will be disseminated to the transport policy-making community to influence changes in the transport sector that
meet political, social and environmental needs. They will also contribute to the Tyndall Centre's development of strategies
to reduce carbon at household level and investigations into pathways towards a hydrogen economy.

A new Tyndall project is examining current and future automotive technologies to define pathways to low carbon transport
options that meet social and environmental needs.

More information

Contact the lead investigator of Project T2.22 (Critical issues in decarbonising transport):
Mr Malcolm Fergusson
Institute for European Environmental Policy, Dean Bradley House, 52 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AG, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 207 799 2244; Fax: +44 (0) 207 799 2600
Email: mfergusson@ieeplondon.org.uk

Other researchers involved in this project are:

Dr Ian Skinner, Institute for European Environmental Policy
Dr Abigail Bristow, Matthew Page and Alison Pridmore, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds

Project duration:
August 2002 to July 2003

Useful web sites:

The Tyndall Centre: www.tyndall.ac.uk
Institute for European Environmental Policy: www.ieep.org.uk

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T2.22 - fact sheet http://tyndall.e-collaboration.co.uk/publications/fact_sheets/untitled/t2_...

Institute for Transport Studies: www.its.leeds.ac.uk

Traffic and transportation information: www.trafficlinq.com
UK Department for Transport: www.dft.gov.uk

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