The cost and effectiveness of policies to reduce vehicle emissions: Summary and conclusions

Joint Transport Research Centre
Round Table, 31 January - 1 February 2008
Paris
International Transport forum
Discussion paper No 2008-9
April 2008

Transport sector policies already contribute to moderating greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicles. They are increasingly designed to contribute to overall societal targets to mitigate climate change. While abatement costs in transport are relatively high, there are plausible arguments in favour of further abatement in this sector.

Fuel taxes are a good instrument. Fuel economy standards are potentially justified because of the limited performance of markets in terms of improving fuel economy. The empirical basis to decide upon combinations of fuel economy standards and fuel taxes, however, remain weak.

This Round Table Fuel taxes are a good instrument. Fuel economy standards are potentially justified because of the limited performance of markets in terms of improving fuel economy. The empirical basis to decide upon combinations of fuel economy standards and fuel taxes, however, remain weak.

Content:
Executive Summary
Effective policy packages to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport
The design of fuel economy standards
Burden sharing
Conclusion

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Technology Roadmap: Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

IEA
2009

Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (EVs and PHEVs), if coupled with low greenhouse gas (GHG) electricity generation, can help cut petroleum use and CO2 significantly, especially in the 2030-2050 timeframe – but key actions must begin now. The vision of this roadmap is to achieve widespread adoption and use of EVs and PHEVs worldwide by 2050, and if possible well before. The primary role of this EV/PHEV Roadmap is to help establish a vision for technology deployment; set approximate, feasible targets; and identify steps required to get there. It also outlines the role for different stakeholders and how they can work together to reach common objectives, and the role for government policy to support the process.

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Who switches to hybrids? A study of a fuel conversion program in Colombia

C. Adrián Saldarriaga-Isaza and Carlos Vergara
Transportation Research A: Policy and Practice
March 2009

Air pollution from mobile sources is an important environmental problem in larger cities. In 2001, a program was implemented to encourage the use of natural gas in vehicles in the Aburrá Valley in Colombia, with incentives to convert small cars from gasoline and diesel to hybrid engines with natural gas, most notably a cash subsidy. Using a survey administered to both commercial and private car owners we study the determinants of conversion under this fuel conversion program. We thus obtain information about the reasons for adoption of new technologies in vehicles. This allows us to discuss the possible outcomes of this type of policy. Results show that a large part of owners who switched would have done it anyway without the subsidy. Based on the findings, commercial vehicles are most likely to be converted to natural gas vehicles.

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