Presentation
This Policy Brief written as part of the European-funded NDC Aspects project.
Key Messages
- Private motorized road mobility (cars, 2-3 wheelers) accounts for about 45% of transport emissions. The share of larger passenger vehicles – specifically sport utility vehicles (SUVs, including pickup trucks) in the global car fleet increased from 8.5% in 2010 to 31.4% in 2022 and were the biggest driver of passenger transport emissions of the last decade.
- The current strategy globally consists essentially in accelerating the electrification of road vehicles. While electrification is necessary for the climate goal, it is not a silver bullet and larger (electric) cars bring larger externalities related to congestion, car injuries, use of public spaces, energy and use of physical resources.
- Therefore, after having shifted all possible private motorized mobility towards public transportation, going lighter and smaller is one of our best bets to satisfy mobility needs. In some developed countries, like Germany or the USA, more than 50% of current car travel demand could be satisfied by light electric vehicles (LEVs). This should become a policy priority to promote LEVs and discourage SUVs for the unavoidable private mobility.
- According to our analysis, the development and penetration of LEVs in our mobility systems and societies depend on many barriers and enablers, which should be addressed by targeted policy interventions and need a deep understanding of national ecosystems.
