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Green Electricity Key to Eliminating Transportation CO 2

in heavily populated areas, and therefore, their operators are under before a significant impact is felt. Regional airplanes and VTOLs
particularly strong pressure to convert to zero-carbon fuel to miti- will remain a small portion of airplane passenger miles traveled.
gate pollution. The solution is again increasing the use of low-carbon and
• Ships are categorized as either deep-sea or short-sea. carbon-neutral fuel to power jet engines. Both biofuels and syn-
Short-sea ships include ferries and coastal ships that make short fuels will be used. These are often called sustainable aviation fuels.
trips or trips with frequent stops. The short-sea ships have started Here again, inexpensive and renewable electricity will generate
converting to electric motors with batteries or fuel cells. Ferries volume production of biofuels and synthetic fuels at competitive
lead the conversion and are experiencing operational cost advan- prices.
tages from lower maintenance and less fuel expenditure. Ferries • Trains have come a long way from their coal-burning days and
and coastal ships will move to electric motors in the next decade. are already partly electrified. Many passenger trains today use
However, this category accounts for a small portion of the overall electric motors that get power from electricity along the rail tracks.
fuel consumption of the maritime industry. Currently, more than 55% of trains use electricity, though the exact
Low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels will be most important percentage varies by region. Diesel locomotives also use electricity
for large, deep-sea ships. This category includes tankers, bulk, to propel trains. A diesel engine makes electricity via a generator
container and other ships. Currently, these ships use marine gas oil, that powers electric traction motors at the wheels. Diesel is used by
which has higher CO 2 and other emissions than diesel-type fuels. about 40% of trains. Biofuel is making some progress in train usage
They often travel between countries and continents and have very but will remain a niche market.
large loads. The largest container ships can carry more than
20,000 containers. Hence, ocean-going ships will stay with ICE ELECTRICITY DRIVES TRANSPORTATION DECARBONIZATION
platforms and move to low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels. Low Figure 1 shows how important electricity is becoming in lowering
cost and renewable electricity are the keys to lower emissions in transportation industry emissions.
the maritime industry. The right side in red shows the key transportation segments. The
• Airplanes are a broad category with diverse functions and fuel left-most block is a reminder of how important green electricity has
requirements. Jet engines use gas turbines, which produce thrust become for the transportation industry.
from the exhaust gases or from ducted fans connected to the tur- The green blocks summarize where electricity is the fuel and the
bines. Aircraft gas turbines are ICE platforms that use kerosene jet motor is the powertrain. The fuel storage mode is either batteries or
fuels, which are oil-based. hydrogen fuel cells.
Batteries and electric motors can only be used with small planes The blue boxes show where electricity is the key factor in producing
and for short trips. Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) planes are carbon-neutral and low-carbon fuels for ICE-based transportation
all based on electric motors and batteries. This category is likely to systems. Plug-in hybrid vehicles are included in this category.
become important in the next decade. The black boxes summarize where transport segments continue to
Small regional airplanes have the potential to use electric motors use fossil fuels and combustion engines.
with batteries or fuel cells, but it will be another decade or so The next question is how the mix of fuel might change in the future.

Transportation
Fuel Generation Fuel Source Fuel Storage Powertrain Sectors
Cars
Electricity as Fuel Charging Onboard Storage Electric Motor • Many segments
• Electricity generation: • Plug-in network • Batteries • Electric motor
• Renewable electricity • Battery swap Onboard Storage propulsion Light Trucks
• Hydrogen from water- • Wireless • Fuel-cell • Electric locomotive & • Many segments
Massive based electrolysis • Hydrogen refill • Hydrogen tank connected electricity
amounts of • Fossil fuel electricity Buses
low-cost Onboard Storage EV-ICE Hybrid • Many segments
Green • Small battery • Electric motor and Heavy Trucks
Electricity • Gas tank (mostly) ICE propulsion • Many segments
are key to Synthetic Fuel
Fuel via Electricity
decarbonizing • 2 carbon-neutral fuels • Gas, coal, biomass Off-Road Trucks
transportation • Synthetic fuel: mix of to synthetic fuel • Many segments
and other • Methanol to gasoline Onboard Tank Carbon-Neutral ICE
industries hydrogen & human- • Other processes • Biofuel tank • Gas-diesel engine Short-Sea Ships
made CO 2 • Ship diesel engine • Ferries
• Biofuels: Natural CO 2 Biofuels • Synthetic fuel • Diesel electric train • Coastal ships
from electrolysis or • From electrolysis tank • Airplane jet engine
photosynthesis • Bio-methanol Deep-Sea Ships
• Bio-diesel & others • Bulk, container,
Tanker & others
Trains
Fossil Fuels Fuel Stations Onboard Tank Fossil Fuel ICE • Many segments
• Gas & diesel etc. • Gas & diesel • Gas-diesel tank • Gas-diesel engine
• Fuel production • MGO (ship) • MGO tank • Ship diesel engine Airplanes
• Jet fuel tank
• Airplane jet engine
• Jet fuel (airplane)
• Distribution network • Short trips
• Diesel fuel (train) • Diesel fuel tank • Train diesel electric
• Long trips
Source: Egil Juliussen; January 2023 ICE=Internal Combustion Engine; MGO=Marine Gas Oil
Figure 1: Electricity is the new oil.

MARCH 2023 | www.eetimes.eu