August 2023

3/4 of EU greenhouse gas emissions are due to fuel combustion, with a significant part of it regarding transportation. In particular, transport accounts for 1/4 of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and it’s the only sector where CO2 emissions are rising.
Especially private cars are significant polluters, accounting for 61% of total CO2 emissions from EU road transport. As those numbers indicate, our personal care use contributes to environmental pollution.
Consequently, there is a pressing need to reform our transportation habits and alter our private car use if we want to keep this threat at bay.

There are three ways to mitigate CO2 emissions while using cars: using more sustainable vehicles, making more sustainable use, and reducing their use.

Reducing car use

There is something between eliminating car use and using your car for all routes and rides.
Get started to reconsider your car use. Doing so will give you a more profound idea of your transportation habits and realise that car use is not always necessary.
Here are some ways in which you can reduce car use:

Rethink your journeys/ routes. First of all, be conscious about the trips you make by car. Answer questions like: How often do I drive? Which routes do I make by car? What do I have to transport?

Rethink the alternative transportation means. Once these questions are answered, take it one step further with questions like: Do I need my car to make those journeys? Which alternatives do I have? Is there public transportation or a bike lane? Could I share the rides with others?
Avoid short journeys. Your vehicle's fuel consumption is exceptionally high when the engine is cold. In numbers: A mid-range car gulps around 30 to 40 litres per 100 kilometres before it reaches operating temperature. Plus, as the catalytic converter is not working, the pollutants escape unhindered into the atmosphere.

Reconsider your shopping trips. Could you do your shopping with a bike trailer? Or what about taking the bus and bringing a backpack or handcart?

Consider car sharing. Opt for car-sharing. As a rule of thumb: if you drive up to 10,000 kilometres per year and do not need a car daily, car sharing is cheaper than owning a car.

Tips for a more sustainable driving behaviour

Suppose you already own a car or drive one occasionally. In that case, we have gathered a few simple tips to rethink your driving style so you can significantly reduce fuel consumption and, thus, environmental pollution.

Drive at low revs and smoothly. Shifting gears quickly and driving at low revs and evenly is environmentally friendly and saves fuel. If you go evenly at low revs, you can reduce fuel consumption by 20-25%.
Regularly check tyre pressure. If the tyre pressure is too low, rolling resistance and fuel consumption increase.
Do not carry unnecessary ballast. Remove unnecessary ballast: an unused ski or bicycle rack increases fuel consumption by up to 25 per cent. An entire luggage compartment also increases fuel consumption.
Use the air conditioning and heating only when necessary. Only use the car air conditioning and also the heating when you need them. Air conditioning can increase fuel consumption in city traffic by up to 30 per cent. In a small car, this can be two litres per 100 kilometres. A rear window heater can consume up to seven per cent more fuel.
Switch off the engine. Switch off the engine at railway gates when unloading and at red lights. By idling for 30 seconds, your engine produces more pollutants than by restarting.
Drive smoothly and prudently. Aggressive driving behaviour such as rapid speeding, overspeeding and abrupt braking can lower your gas mileage by 10-40%. By driving sensibly, you can save gas and money and prevent road accidents. Try using driver feedback devices, as they can help you improve fuel economy by 3% and gas mileage by 10%.
Remove redundant weight. The more weight in your vehicle, the harder the engine has to work to make the vehicle move. For example, an extra 100 pounds (45 kg) in your trunk could reduce your fuel economy by about 1%. Avoid keeping unnecessary, heavy items in your vehicle, especially in smaller cars.
Avoid excessive idling. Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner (AC) use. Turning your engine off when your vehicle is parked is eco-friendly and saves you money.
Take training in sustainable driving. Automobile clubs now offer driving courses on environmentally conscious driving.
Offer your car for shared rides. The car is the dominant mode of transport in the EU, with less than 2 persons on average per car. Share your regular rides with others, e.g. your commuting route.

THE DECISION FOR A CAR

Before opting for getting a new car, think about whether you need it. As long as you do, contemplate the ways in which your purchase can have the lowest possible environmental impact.

Pre consideration before purchasing a car

Before buying a car, consider if you need to own one. Here are some points to ask yourself:

How often would I drive?
What are the alternatives (bus, train, bike, car sharing, etc....)?
What about renting a car instead of owning it?
Have you considered taking regular tours by taxi instead of having your car? A taxi ride might seem costly, but considering your running costs for your car, it might pay off.

Getting a more sustainable car

If you don’t own a car yet or are considering getting a new one, here are a few tips to consider before you make a choice.

Get a car with low fuel consumption. This will contribute less to CO2 emissions. In Europe, you can always ask for the energy label, showing fuel consumption information, from the seller.
Choose smaller cars over bigger ones. Small cars emit lower carbon dioxide, consuming lower fuel to cover the same distance. A small car is easier to handle and park and will cost you less money to buy and maintain.
Opt for a second-hand car. This may not necessarily contribute to fewer emissions on the street. Still, it belongs to a sustainable mentality that considers the depletion of natural resources and the energy consumption and CO2 emissions generated during the production process of a new car. Plus, it saves you money.
Prefer diesel to petrol. Even though both engine types are not sustainable, diesel engines emit lower CO2 emissions and burn fuel more efficiently, offering higher mileage than petrol engines.
Choose a car that consumes alternative fuel types or uses electricity. If applicable, this is the most sustainable option.

Alternative Fuel Types

Below is a list of the different energy sources that can run a car:

Ethanol is derived from renewable sources like wheat, corn or barley. It is used in blends with gasoline, and even in small proportions (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline), ethanol helps reduce CO2 emissions.
Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable fuel produced by animal fats and vegetable oils and emits 11% lower carbon monoxide than conventional fuels.
Natural gas is produced by decaying organic materials. It has fewer CO2 emissions of nearly all air pollutants. Nevertheless, its production and transportation processes generate methane, a greenhouse gas that significantly impacts global warming more than C02.
Dimethyl ether, aka DME, is a sustainable fuel alternative produced from methanol, natural gas or coal-derived syngas. Currently, DME production is minimal and demands improvement in the distribution infrastructure.
Electricity is considered the most sustainable fuel alternative on the market. Required energy can be generated from renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal systems.

ELECTRIC CARS

As concerns about the environmental impact of gas- and diesel-powered engines increase, the industry pays more and more attention to electric vehicles as a viable and more efficient alternative. The European Parliament wants electric charging areas for cars at least once every 60 kilometres along main EU roads by 2026 and hydrogen refuelling stations every 100 kilometres by 2028.

How do electric cars work

An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. In the case of e-cars, electricity is stored as chemical energy in a battery before being converted back into electrical power to operate the motor. These cars are charged at charging stations in your home, work parking lot, or public spaces.

Types of electric vehicles

All Electric Vehicles (AEVs) are the most sustainable option as they run exclusively on electricity, either from a battery (BEVs) or a fuel cell (FCEVs). They usually can cover a distance of 130 to 160 kilometres before needing recharging.

BEVs are fully electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries and no gasoline engine. All vehicle energy comes from the battery pack, which is recharged from the grid. BEVs do not generate harmful tailpipe emissions caused by conventional gasoline-powered vehicles.

FCEVs are powered by hydrogen. Hydrogen cars emit water vapour instead of CO2. Thus, they can be marked as an excellent zero-emission alternative. FCEVs use a propulsion system, where energy stored as hydrogen is converted to electricity by the fuel cell. They have a relatively small market compared to BEVs and HEVs.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) or partially electric vehicles have a gas-powered engine and an electric motor to drive the car. They run on electricity until the battery is depleted, then switch to the gas-powered engine. Full hybrids can recharge their electric batteries through regenerative braking and work purely on electric power at slower speeds, while on gas at higher speeds.

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) work like hybrids but have bigger batteries and can be plugged into an external power source to recharge. Here, the electric battery is the primary power source for the car, and the internal combustion engine takes over only when the battery runs down. If you drive long distances and can not install a charger or have access to it elsewhere, getting a plug-in hybrid may not be practical.

Benefits of e-cars

They run entirely silent and odourless.
They consume no energy when stationary.
AEVs produce no exhaust fumes, while HEVs and PHEVs emit fewer CO2 emissions than purely gas-operated cars.
They can be utterly CO2-free if the electricity for charging is generated entirely from renewable energy.
Operating expenses are decreased, as electricity is much less expensive than conventional fuel types.
They provide a pleasant ride experience.
As they do not emit harmful exhaust fumes on the road, they provide unhindered access to the environmental zones of cities.
They are suitable for infrequent drivers or as a second car driving up to 5,000 kilometres a year.

Nevertheless, owning and using an e-car demands an infrastructure not well established yet in every European country. Some disadvantages of e-cars are:

Possible difficulties in finding public charging stations.
Higher initial purchase cost compared to gas cars.
Charging takes significantly longer than tanking.

E-Car Producers

Tesla (USA) is presently the world's largest electric car producer.
Some other indicative manufacturers of e-cars are: Li Auto & NIO (China) , Lucid Motors & Rivian (USA), Hyundai Motor (South Korea), Aptiv (Dublin) , Nissan (Japan) , Volvo (Sweden) , and Stellantis (The Netherlands).