Decarbonising surface transport in 2050

Mr Eric Ling, Committee on Climate Change

This paper sets out a scenario for decarbonisation of surface transport between 2012 and 2050 consistent with the objective of meeting the UK’s Climate Change Act target of an 80% reduction in GHG emissions across all sectors of the UK economy, at lowest total cost to society. The specific focus is on (1) the technical performance and economic costs of low-carbon transport technologies, including the likely evolution of the costs of electric vehicle batteries, (2) travel patterns and their implications for market uptake of limited-range electric vehicles, and (2) the impact of decarbonisation of surface transport on UK energy demand (fossil fuels, biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen).