Decarbonizing Heavy Road Transport: Challenges and Innovations

Heavy road transport stands as a major contributor to CO2 emissions, making decarbonization of trucks and vans crucial for achieving Denmark’s 2030 reduction targets and eventual carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the journey ahead is fraught with challenges.

To meet Denmark’s ambitious emission reduction goals, a transition to green transport solutions is imperative across the entire transport sector, encompassing cars, trucks, rail, air, and maritime transport. Currently, this sector alone contributes nearly one-third of Denmark’s CO2 emissions. Failure to find alternatives to fossil fuels risks stalling the green transition, akin to rush hour on the Køge Bugt Motorway.

Electrification presents a viable solution for parts of the sector, with over 110,000 electric cars and significant rail traffic already powered by electricity. However, for segments that cannot be electrified, such as heavy-duty trucks, the development of green fuels is essential, notes Christian Boysen, Innovation Director at Energy Cluster Denmark.

“It’s obvious that we should electrify as much as possible—batteries offer minimal conversion losses, so the more we connect to the electricity grid, the better,” he says. “We’re already seeing light vans electrified today. But batteries have limitations for heavy traffic, and the electricity grid has natural constraints in areas with limited infrastructure. We need alternatives.”

A New Energy Mix

Hydrogen emerges as a primary contender. Through electrolysis, water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen, with hydrogen suitable for fueling tankers. Under the regional flagship initiative ‘Green Energy and Sector Coupling,’ Everfuel aims to develop mobile hydrogen stations to assess hydrogen’s potential for refueling heavy-duty trucks.

“Refueling with hydrogen is operationally similar to diesel,” explains Mads Mortensen, Investor Relations Manager at Everfuel. “Many hauliers are keen to test hydrogen trucks, vans, and buses. However, hydrogen stations are expensive to build, and establishing a dense network is challenging without sufficient demand. Solutions like our Everfiller mobile refueling units aim to address this chicken-and-egg issue.”

Mads Mortensen remains convinced that hydrogen will play a crucial role in the long run. “We foresee an energy mix where multiple solutions replace conventional diesel. Hydrogen will have a role wherever direct electrification is challenging—a scenario prevalent beyond Northern Europe with limited electricity capacity,” he adds.

Maturing the Next Steps

Further down the road, green methanol emerges as another solution, explored in projects like the CO2 Vision by CircleK in Northern Jutland. This initiative aims to establish a complete value chain for e-methanol, from industrial use to residential heating and transport.

“We believe the future will see a broader array of energy carriers than we have today. Methanol represents one of the most cost-effective and CO2-neutral options across the entire value chain,” says Jesper Dan Holst Rasmussen, Senior Manager – Pricing at CircleK.

Key advantages of e-methanol include leveraging existing infrastructure, ensuring optimal energy efficiency, and minimizing implementation costs.

“The involvement of the entire value chain in the project is a significant advantage. It fosters development and facilitates cross-sectoral collaboration, which is crucial for future market evolution,” emphasizes Jesper Dan Holst Rasmussen.

This collaborative approach will also prove instrumental in transitioning maritime and aviation sectors to green energy solutions.

“The technologies we’re refining for heavy road transport will be pivotal in transitioning maritime and aviation sectors to green fuels. It will expedite market maturation through cost reductions and industrialization,” concludes Christian Boysen from Energy Cluster Denmark.