By 2050, the number of vehicles in the freight transport sector could triple, according to experts. This sector accounts for a third of CO2 emissions in France. Against this backdrop, the energy transition must promote the emergence of greener energy sources to offer alternative solutions to traditional fuels. Various avenues are already being explored that could guarantee more economical and ecological mobility.
CNG and Bio CNG: the essentials for environmentally-friendly mobility
Today, natural gas for vehicles (NGV) is the only alternative fuel that is both technically operational and attractive from the point of view of public health and theenvironment. CNG is a natural gas of fossil origin, while bioNGV (or biomethane) derived from biogas is a gaseous fuel, both composed mainly of methane (CH4). BioNGV is defined as the renewable version of CNG. It's a gas with unlimited possibilities, because it's produced locally.
The advantages of using CNG instead of diesel are "a 95% reduction in fine particle emissions and a reduction of around 70% in nitrogen oxide emissions compared with the Euro VI standard ". Transport powered by CNG offers several advantages: a lower carbon footprint, noise emissions that do not exceed 72db, and a more competitive price than diesel. It's an essential solution for reducing negative externalities.
However, CNG and bioNGV suffer from a lack of attractiveness due to a distribution network that remains insufficient throughout the country.
A directive for the deployment of an infrastructure for alternative fuels including CNG and electricity has just been published by the European Union; it aims to minimize transport's dependence on oil and mitigate environmental impact, and provides for a
of new CNG stations by 2025.
To benefit from increasingly carbon-free freight transport, we need to develop sufficient biogas resources to replace oil. We therefore need to encourage the biomethane production sector.
Other alternatives
Other solutions such as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and bioethanol are trying to make their mark on the market, even if CNG remains the solution for the majority of opinion today.
LPG is widely used in Northern and Eastern Europe, but taxation and higher installation costs have limited its spread. As for bioethanol, made from beet, corn, wheat or sugar cane, its production for fuel remains very limited, accounting for just 1% of sales in France.
Electric mobility thanks to hydrogen fuel cells has the advantage of emitting very few pollutants, by avoiding combustion in the air at high temperatures. Hydrogen-powered vehicles generate neither pollution nor CO2 in use, reducing CO2 emissions by 88% compared with their diesel equivalents. This alternative solution to conventional motorization makes it possible to integrate renewable energies into the transport sector. A plan for the national deployment of a hydrogen infrastructure should be in place by 2020, but the project remains costly.