PARIS, 19 September 2012 - Two reports released
on Wednesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA) show how the
right policies and technologies could improve the fuel efficiency
of road vehicles by 50% by the middle of the century, saving as
much as four-fifths of current annual global oil consumption.
The transport sector currently accounts for a fifth of global
final energy consumption, and increased demand from this sector is
expected to make up all future growth in oil use worldwide. But
there is massive potential for fuel efficiency improvements to
reduce demand for transport fuel, and the two reports show how the
world could stabilise demand for oil even if the number of
road vehicles (passenger cars, two-wheelers and freight trucks)
doubled by 2050.
"Tackling road transport energy use is vital to enhancing energy
security and reducing carbon dioxide emissions globally," IEA
Deputy Executive Director Richard Jones, said as he launched the
reports.
"Conventional combustion engine vehicles are set to be around
for a long time and without the right policy mixes, like the ones
described in these publications, the demand for energy from road
vehicles will be unsustainable."
One report, Technology Roadmap: Fuel Economy for Road
Vehicles, describes the technologies needed (such as
high-pressure fuel injection systems) to achieve a much more
efficient road-vehicle stock by 2030, while the second, Policy Pathway: Improving the Fuel Economy of Road
Vehicles, describes the policy packages, made up of fuel
economy labeling, standards and fiscal policies, that can help
deliver improved fuel economy.
With the right policies, countries can
use available, cost-effective technologies to greatly improve the
fuel economy of road vehicles over the next 10 to 20 years, and at
the same time save billions of US dollars in fuel
costs.
But governments need to act quickly. The new IEA "fuel-economy
readiness" index measures the extent to which countries have
implemented steps that will fully exploit the potential of existing
fuel economy technologies and maximise their use in vehicles. It
reveals that very few have all the pieces in place to capitalise on
the full potential of fuel economy improvements that could be
achieved in the coming two decades.
The Technology Roadmap, the latest in a series of
IEA publications that focus on global low-carbon energy
technologies, from biofuels to smart grids, recommends:
* further research, development
and demonstration in some technologies - such as waste heat
recovery devices - would help to make vehicles more efficient and
cost-effective over time;
* specific global fuel-economy
improvement targets and milestones that countries should implement;
and
* policies, including fuel
economy standards, fiscal measures and information programmes, to
dramatically improve the fuel economy of road vehicles.
The Policy Pathway, which offers detailed guidance for
governments on how to put in place policy measures to increase the
fuel efficiency of vehicles, includes information on:
* how policies should be
designed and the critical elements to planning, implementing,
monitoring and evaluating fuel-economy policy packages; and
* highlights lessons learned
and examples of good practices from countries with experience in
implementing fuel-economy policies for vehicles.
About the IEA
The International Energy Agency is an
autonomous organization which works to ensure reliable, affordable
and clean energy for its 28 member countries and beyond. It is at
the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing reliable and
unbiased research, statistics, analysis and
recommendations.