The current design of the greenhouse gas reduction quota (THG quota) sets distorted incentives in road freight transport and disadvantages energy-efficient battery-electric trucks compared with trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This result comes from a new study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) in cooperation with the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu Institute). This leaves untapped potential for the uptake of battery-electric propulsion and climate protection in road freight transport. Road freight accounts for one third of transport emissions in Germany.
Emissions-free vehicles are therefore central on the path toward climate neutrality, according to the authors. They have so far
played only a small role in heavy-duty transport, but have recently shown significant growth, especially for battery-electric trucks. An increasingly important factor for the continued uptake of these vehicles are the incentives that arise from the THG quota. This obliges oil companies to reduce the emissions of the fuels they sell. To meet the quota, they must promote the use of climate-friendly alternatives and demonstrate corresponding emission reductions.
„The THG quota has the potential to create important incentives for the drivetrain transition in heavy-duty road transport. Currently, however, these are distorted in favor of more expensive and less energy-efficient fuel-cell trucks. This could slow down the currently
dynamic growth of battery-electric trucks in the future", warns Wolf-Peter Schill, Head of the Transformation of the Energy Economy research division at the DIW Berlin.
Specifically, in the current design of this climate protection instrument, the mileage of heavy battery-electric trucks is underestimated by the currently applicable flat-rate values, the emissions from the electricity used to power the drivetrain are overestimated, and the energy-efficiency advantages of battery-electric trucks are not correctly reflected. As a result, battery-electric trucks are currently clearly worse off under the THG quota than those with hydrogen fuel cells. This could in the medium term offset the cost disadvantages of fuel-cell vehicles and lead
to increased use of hydrogen in heavy-duty transport.
„Hydrogen will play an important role in the climate-neutral restructuring of the economy. Whether this specifically also applies to road freight transport remains open, and a distortion of drivetrain choice to the disadvantage of battery-electric vehicles is definitely the wrong approach here," concludes Julius Jöhrens of the ifeu Institute.
Quickly implementable reform options include new specifications for the estimated annual energy consumption of the vehicles and the emissions of the electricity mix. Moreover, a more comprehensive reform of the calculation framework appears sensible in order to adequately account for the energy-efficiency advantages of battery-electric trucks within the THG-Quota logic,
