Low Emission Fuels and Vehicles (LEFV)
Accelerating uptake of LEFV solutions by companies
More governments and companies are setting climate targets, including for freight and logistics, with the end goal of zero emissions before 2050. For shippers that make use of road freight to ship materials and products to their destinations, multiple solutions such as biofuels and electric and in future potentially hydrogen can be effective strategies to reduce emissions. Most of them combine ambition with pragmatism: use low emission fuels and electric vehicles where these are viable today and transition towards zero emission freight vehicles over the next decade that run on renewable electricity or green hydrogen.
The Low Emission Fuels and Vehicles (LEFV) project aims to remove barriers and accelerate the uptake of LEFV solutions by shippers and LSPs as freight buyers, in particular those with consumer-facing products and road freight trucking in Europe, but their carriers and other stakeholders will also benefit. The project started in March 2020 and is carried out as a project under the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) that is managed by Smart Freight Centre.
The Low Emission Fuels and Vehicles (LEFV) project aims to remove barriers and accelerate the uptake of LEFV solutions by shippers and LSPs as freight buyers, in particular those with consumer-facing products and road freight trucking in Europe, but their carriers and other stakeholders will also benefit. The project started in March 2020 and is carried out as a project under the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) that is managed by Smart Freight Centre.
What will the program deliver?
The LEFV program consists of four related projects to introduce, report, decide and collaborate on LEFV solutions:
1. Introductory guide: LEFV for road freight.This guide, launched in September 2020, creates a common starting point for different stakeholders who have a role to play in this transition: freight transport operators (‘carriers’), freight transport buyers (‘shippers’), energy and infrastructure providers, vehicle and engine manufacturers (‘OEMs’) and policy makers. The report explains the fundamentals of low emission fuels and energy sources, the current landscape, industry experience and perspectives, and introduces the concept of ‘Total Emissions of Operation’ (TEO) to supplement the total cost of operation (TCO).
2. Calculate and Report. The transition and zero emission fuels pose new challenges to calculating and reporting GHG emissions. Shippers and carriers will require more detail on the origins of the fuel used (e.g. which feedstock was used or the source of electricity) to establish the correct emission factors and calculate their emissions correctly. The project is:
4. Implement and collaborate. The new LEFV solutions require companies to pilot, trial and scale up new LEFV solutions. This GLEC project explores the possibilities of facilitating this collaboration on implementation of LEFV in France (as a pilot country) by:
1. Introductory guide: LEFV for road freight.This guide, launched in September 2020, creates a common starting point for different stakeholders who have a role to play in this transition: freight transport operators (‘carriers’), freight transport buyers (‘shippers’), energy and infrastructure providers, vehicle and engine manufacturers (‘OEMs’) and policy makers. The report explains the fundamentals of low emission fuels and energy sources, the current landscape, industry experience and perspectives, and introduces the concept of ‘Total Emissions of Operation’ (TEO) to supplement the total cost of operation (TCO).
2. Calculate and Report. The transition and zero emission fuels pose new challenges to calculating and reporting GHG emissions. Shippers and carriers will require more detail on the origins of the fuel used (e.g. which feedstock was used or the source of electricity) to establish the correct emission factors and calculate their emissions correctly. The project is:
- building on the GLEC Framework for Logistics Emissions Accounting and Reporting
- aligning calculation methodologies with the new ISO 14083 standard
- creating a harmonized and up-to-date set of emission factors which are most representative for the new fuels (module 1 of the GLEC Framework) and can be used for reliable and consistent reporting.
- Applicability of the solution for their specific use case in terms of operating ranges, payloads and technology
- Availability of the solution in the market, considering infrastructure and vehicle supply as well as legal requirements
- Feasibility of the solution in terms of costs and emissions
4. Implement and collaborate. The new LEFV solutions require companies to pilot, trial and scale up new LEFV solutions. This GLEC project explores the possibilities of facilitating this collaboration on implementation of LEFV in France (as a pilot country) by:
- Establishing LEFV collaboration profiles for interested GLEC members
- Providing match-making between GLEC Members to facilitate potential collaboration
- Supporting the identified projects with freight emission reduction calculations and dissemination
Why should you join this program?
Companies and other organizations can participate as follows
- Give feedback on emission factor updates and their application for low emission fuels
- Help shape the LEFV Matrix and share available information for relevant European countries
- Explore collaboration with other shippers and institutions/players to work with to implement LEFV solutions in France
- Influence LEFV emission calculation methodologies and factors
- Get more complete and reliable emission calculation results and information on LEFV solutions in different countries
- Increase speed and effectiveness of LEFV solutions implementation through collaboration
Program timeframe
- Introductory guide: LEFV for road freight: published September 2020
- Start support of collaboration between companies on LEFV solutions: February 2021
- LEFV Decision Making Matrix France: expected publication in May 2021
- Process for replicating LEFV matrices for other European countries and regular updating: June 2021
- Case studies on collaboration projects including results on LEFV implementation: December 2021
- GLEC guideline on collaboration for companies to use for future collaborations: December 2021
How can you get involved?
For more information contact: Rik Arends, rik.arends@smartfreightcentre.org, or Eszter Toth-Weedon, eszter.toth-weedon@smartfreightcentre.org