The Belgian city aims to have its centre emissions free by 2030.
Companies making deliveries to Ghent’s central area can join one of two pilot projects: receiving a free electric vehicle, or a financial subsidy for a local emission-free last-mile delivery service. Both incentives are provided by the municipality.
Ghent’s climate goals are notably practical. The city aims to make its central area as emission-free as possible by 2030. While this target may seem less ambitious compared to other cities that promise ’emission-free zones’ or ‘banning fossil fuel cars,’ it appears achievable.
Not just empty words
“By 2030, we want city logistics to be as emission-free as possible, but we’re not leaving entrepreneurs to tackle this alone. We give them time to prepare and offer support to encourage them toward sustainable logistics,” explains Sofie Bracke, Alderman for Economy.
Approximately 7,000 tonnes of goods are delivered to Ghent’s central area (inside the R40 ring road) every week via 40,000 trips by vans and trucks, excluding construction logistics. Daily, 10,000 to 20,000 parcels are delivered to the city center.
This significantly impacts traffic and emissions, prompting the city to start implementing changes now. The phased approach allows entrepreneurs time to adapt.
Two options for entrepreneurs
For the first pilot project, companies, sole proprietorships, or non-profit organizations can test an emission-free vehicle for deliveries in Ghent free of charge for one week. They will also receive advice and customized logistics services.
Options include an electric truck, box truck, refrigerated truck or van, a light electric freight vehicle, or a cargo e-bike. Testing is available from September 23 to December 13, 2024.
The second option involves outsourcing the ‘last-mile delivery’. Logistics companies will bundle deliveries and transport goods from the city’s edge to the center. Participants collaborating with these providers will receive a 6,000-euro subsidy.
According to provisional data released by the European Environment Agency (EEA), average CO2 emissions from newly registered cars in Europe continued to decline in 2023, showing a 1.4% reduction compared to 2022. Similarly, emissions from new vans decreased by 1.6% from the previous year. These declines are largely attributed to the increasing prevalence of fully electric vehicles.
The provisional data, detailing newly registered cars and vans in Europe, indicate that 10.7 million new cars were registered in Europe in 2023, marking a 13.2% rise from 2022. Nearly a quarter of these registrations were electric, either fully or as plug-in hybrids, with Norway, Sweden, and Iceland having the highest shares of electric cars at 90.5%, 60.7%, and 60.4%, respectively.
In 2023, 1.2 million new vans were registered in Europe, representing a 20.2% increase from 2022 levels. The proportion of electric vans reached 8%, with more than half of these registrations occurring in France, Germany, and Sweden.
Key figures:
New passenger cars: 10.7 million registrations (+13.2% from 2022), 106.6 g CO2/km average emissions (-1.4%), 23.6% electric (including plug-in hybrids), 15.5% fully electric, and an average mass of 1,545 kg (+1.3%).
New vans: 1.2 million registrations (+20.2% from 2022), 180.8 g CO2/km average emissions (-1.6%), 8% fully electric, and an average mass of 1,896 kg (+1%).
The transport sector accounts for approximately a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, with road transport contributing approximately three-quarters of this. The EU aims to reduce transport emissions by 90% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels and achieve zero emissions for all new cars and vans by 2035.
About the vehicle data
The EEA gathers data on new vehicle registrations in Europe under Regulation (EU) 2019/631, based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The data, which will be finalized later in the year after manufacturers review them, are currently provisional. The EEA also publishes real-world CO2 emissions and fuel consumption data, collected via on-board fuel consumption monitoring (OBFCM) devices, to compare laboratory and actual road performance. Further analysis is provided by the European Commission.
Provisional datasets reflect the CO2 emissions calculated through laboratory testing, the EEA has previously published data on real-world CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of cars and vans.
From 2025, a new environmental zone will be set up within the heart of Stockholm, prohibiting petrol and diesel-fuelled cars. This will be achieved by instituting a new environmental, low-emission zone which will cover a 20 block area in the downtown district, including prominent shopping streets and busy office areas.
The primary objective of this new and drastic action is unsurprising; it aims to foster a cleaner, quieter, and healthier atmosphere in the Swedish capital, by prioritizing the well-being of both residents and visitors.
The planned environmental zone falls within the area formed by Kungsgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Hamngatan and Sveavägen, and the entrance to the Klaratunnel via Mäster Samuelsgatan is also part of the planned zone.
The plan, which was proposed by the Green Party in the city council, aims to establish Zone type 3, which is considered the strictest according to Swedish standards, meaning minimal exceptions for a return to the emissions produced by cars will be permitted. It is expected to make the capital a compelling example for other Swedish cities to follow.
In practical terms, only fully electric vehicles will be permitted to operate within the zone limits. However, certain exceptions will be granted to bigger plug-in hybrid vans, ambulances, police vehicles, and vehicles operated by individuals with documented disabilities.
Furthermore, Reuters reported that Green Party officials have indicated a plan to gradually expand the zone to encompass more of Stockholm.
As expected, this abrupt and drastic shift, along with the short timeline for implementation, is not met with unanimous approval regardless of attitudes towards ‘going green’. Private transportation companies, including taxi operators, assert that these changes are being rushed, citing insufficient availability of EV charging points in the city, making such a transition currently unfeasible.
Comments Off on THOR AVAS conducts tests with blind listeners
Recently a team from LEVA-EU member THOR AVAS gathered to conduct another experiment and test their Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) product among the participants who most depend on sound sensations in this world – with blind listeners. The World Blind Union initially influenced with its appeal to the UN several years ago, for the implementation of sound in silent electric cars in order to reduce the number of accidents with their wards.
It was this step that led to changes in the legislation of the EU and the USA, and then China and Japan, where AVAS systems became mandatory for installation on all hybrid and electric cars.
The difference between THOR AVAS and other systems is its more complex and at the same time harmonious sounds, consisting not only of warning layers (high-frequency repeating signals), but also softer components, which makes soundtracks more enjoyable. Plus, all the sounds are associated with movement, speed up and down, and don’t just beep like toys.
A team of engineers, acousticians and sound designers create sounds and upgrade the system, subjecting it to various tests, including live tests, where real people help determine the visibility of an approaching electric car.
To conduct tests on the street, a stand with many sensors and microphones was assembled. Participants were seated on chairs and given remote controls to press, triggering a signal which the operator received on the main computer, collecting data about the speed of the car, the volume of the system and the distance at which people noticed the approach of the electric car. The work was carried out in different speed modes – 10-20-30 km/h – and at different AVAS volumes, but within the limits permitted by UN rule No. 138, according to which all AVAS systems must operate. Listeners also participated in tests where AVAS was completely turned off to understand the difference between the sound from the tires and the system.
The THOR AVAS team state that it is too early to talk about results, since there is still a huge amount of data processing work to be done; they will talk about it in their next report.
Comments Off on Obsessing over electric cars is impeding the race to net zero: More active travel is essential
Source: University of Oxford – Globally, only one in 50 new cars were fully electric in 2020, and one in 14 in the UK. Sounds impressive, but even if all new cars sold were electric, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet.
Christian Brand, Associate Professor in Oxford’s Transport, Energy & Environment, Transport Studies Unit, writes.
Focusing solely on electric vehicles is slowing down the race to zero emissions.
Even if all new cars were fully electric, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet.
Emissions from cycling and e-biking can be ten times lower than driving an electric car.
Active travel can contribute to tackling the climate emergency earlier than electric vehicles while providing affordable, reliable, clean, healthy and congestion-busting transport.
The emission savings from replacing all those internal combustion engines with zero-carbon alternatives will not feed in fast enough to make the necessary difference in the time we can spare: the next five years.
Tackling the climate and air pollution requires curbing all motorised transport, particularly private cars, as quickly as possible.
Focusing solely on electric vehicles is slowing down the race to zero emissions. This is partly because electric cars are not truly zero-carbon. Mining the raw materials for their batteries, manufacturing them and generating the electricity they need for fuel produces emissions.
Transport is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise because of its heavy fossil fuel use and reliance on carbon-intensive infrastructure – such as roads, airports and the vehicles themselves – and the way it embeds car-dependent lifestyles. One way to reduce transport emissions relatively quickly, and potentially globally, is to swap cars for cycling, e-biking and walking – active travel, as it is called.
As many as 50% of car journeys are less than five km and could easily be replaced by active travel. Electric bikes increase this range to 10 km or more. They have become more popular over the past few years as prices have come down. These bikes allow older people to cycle and help riders cycle in hilly areas. But they still provide physical activity. In the Netherlands and Belgium, electric bikes have become popular for long-distance commutes of up to 30 km. They could be the answer to our commuting problems.
Active travel is cheaper, healthier, better for the environment, and no slower on congested urban streets. So how much carbon can it save on a day-by-day basis? And what is its role in reducing emissions from transport overall?
In our own research, colleagues and I show that people who walk, cycle or use e-bikes have lower carbon footprints from all their daily travel, including in cities where lots of people are already doing this. Despite the fact that some walking and cycling happens on top of motorised journeys instead of replacing them, more people switching to active travel would equate to lower carbon emissions from transport on a trip-by-trip and daily basis.
What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours
In one study, we observed around 4,000 people living in the cities of London, Antwerp, Barcelona, Vienna, Orebro, Rome and Zurich. Over a two-year period, our participants completed 10,000 travel diary entries, which served as records of all the trips they made each day, whether going to work by train, taking the kids to school by car or riding the bus into town. For each trip, we calculated the carbon footprint.
Strikingly, the carbon footprint for daily travel is up to 84% smaller for people who walk or cycle than for people who use other modes of transport.
We also found the average person who shifted from car to bike for just one day a week cut their carbon footprint by 3.2kg of CO₂ – equivalent to the emissions from driving a car for 10km, eating a serving of lamb or chocolate, or sending 800 emails.
We found emissions from cycling can be more than 30 times lower for each trip than driving a fossil fuel car, and about ten times lower than driving an electric one.
While public policy tends to focus on commuting, trips for other purposes such as shopping or social visits are also often done by car. These trips are often shorter, increasing the potential for a shift toward walking, cycling or e-biking.
E-cargo bikes can carry heavy shopping and/or children and can be the key ingredient needed to make the shift to ditching the family car.
