The Sector Pathways Review authored by Australia’s Climate Change Authority has revealed heavy vehicles account for almost a quarter of the wider transport sector’s emissions and has acknowledged the extensive challenges faced by the sector in reducing its emissions.
Heavy duty trucks and buses have been found to account for 24 per cent of the transport sector’s share of emissions, while light commercial vehicles account for 19 per cent.
Mobile air-conditioning and transport refrigeration has registered at two per cent.
While the report acknowledges increased uptake of EVs and new charging infrastructure will aid in the decarbonisation of the car and light commercial vehicle subsectors, it says the same solution is not necessarily viable for heavy vehicles.
“Aviation, shipping, rail and heavy vehicle transport currently have immature and expensive low and zero emission technology options,” it says.
“Challenges to transitioning to low and zero emissions technology include high upfront costs, lack of supporting infrastructure and appropriate regulation.
“Technology maturity and long asset lives present further barriers for aviation, shipping, rail and heavy vehicles.
“There is also inadequate information on the supply and demand and future costs of renewable fuels to inform technology investment decisions.”
These challenges, the report states, could be limiting factors in Australia’s goal to transition to net zero emissions by 2050.
“The pathway to minimise these emissions by 2050 will likely involve accelerating take-up of battery electric technology in heavy vehicles and rail … replacing existing heavy diesel vehicles and rail with hydrogen technology as soon as it matures … [and] switching to renewable fuels where hydrogen and battery electric are not suitable or available.
“These challenges mean there will likely be some residual transport emissions in 2050.”
In 2023, 23 per cent of all trucks on Australian roads were older than 21 years.
The age of the nation’s heavy vehicle fleet, which will likely hit headlines once again when the results National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s current National Roadworthiness Survey are released early next year, is a barrier to the reduction of emissions in the sector.
Climate Change Authority says more government intervention will be required to improve this area.
“The lack of availability of zero emissions heavy vehicles in the market and the inertia of asset replacement in this sector is a significant barrier to the uptake of new technologies,” the report states.
“[This] will require policy attention.
“As Australia is a small right hand drive market, it is unlikely to be economical for overseas manufacturers to design a bespoke zero emissions truck to align with Australia’s vehicle width regulations.”
To view the transport section of the Sector Pathways Report click here. To view the entire report, click here.
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