Europe transition to EVs to be aided by liquid fuels – IP Week panels

Nazif Nazmul

28-Feb-2020

LONDON (ICIS)–The role of liquid fuels such as second-generation biofuels derived from non-food biomass and synthetic fuels will be key in the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs) to achieve in the meantime a transport sector with lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, industry players said this week.

The third and final day of IP Week talks held in London concluded with several panel discussions assessing low emission pathways for transport.

Presentations included what the panel described as industry efforts helmed by both public and private sector initiatives to decarbonise road transport, shipping and aviation sectors.

There was resounding agreement among the panellists that electrification remains the primary target for all three sectors, but liquid fuels are set to play a key role in the transition period.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were touted to grow along with electric vehicles (EVs) in the coming decade as technological advancements and mass production is expected to lower costs for both forms of road transport.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were singled out for its potential to be used in heavy duty road transport vehicles such as trucks for its energy storage properties.

Concerns surrounding hydrogen’s explosive nature, which requires specific storage tanks to maintain its minus 253 degree Celsius temperature, was singled out as a major obstacle that needs to be overcome by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in order to implement the technology more widely.

The talks also acknowledged the current gap that exists in the lack of infrastructure currently in place to implement wide-scale implementation of EVs, stating that significant investment is required by both the public and private sectors across Europe before consumers shift towards EVs.

Sustainability issues surrounding lithium sourcing for battery-packs also needs to be addressed, as most of the world’s lithium is derived from the mines in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The lithium mine operations of DRC have faced criticisms in the past for unethical practices such as child labour and abhorrent work conditions.

The aviation sector, on the other hand, is already at the forefront of using biofuel blends for conducting flights in Europe and in the US, and is currently exploring bringing to scale technologies that can pave the path for electrified airplanes in the next few decades.

Scrubbers usage remains a major obstacle for the shipping industry, which is expected to increase its usage of low sulphur fuel on the back of the IMO 2020 regulations that came into force on 1 January.

IP Week ran in London on 25-27 February.

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