The current design of the greenhouse gas reduction quota (THG quota) creates distorted incentives in road freight transport and disadvantages energy-efficient battery-electric trucks compared to trucks with hydrogen fuel cells. This is the result of a new study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) in collaboration with the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu-Institute). This leaves untapped potential for the ramp-up of battery-electric propulsion and climate protection in road freight transport. Road freight transport is responsible 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 further upturn of these vehicles are the incentives arising from the THG quota. This obliges oil companies to reduce the emissions of the fuels they sell. In order 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 set important incentives for the drivetrain shift in heavy-duty 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 DIW Berlin.
Specifically, in the current design of this climate protection instrument the driving performance of heavy battery-electric trucks is underestimated by the currently applicable flat-rate values, the emissions from the propulsion electricity are overestimated, and the energy efficiency advantages of battery-electric trucks are not correctly reflected. As a result, battery-electric trucks currently stand in the THG quota clearly worse off than those with hydrogen fuel cells. This could, in the long run, offset the cost disadvantages of fuel-cell vehicles and lead to an
increased use of hydrogen in heavy-duty transport.
"Hydrogen will play an important role in the climate-neutral transformation of the economy. Whether this also applies specifically to road freight transport, is still 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.
Fast-implementable reform options are new determinations for the estimated annual energy consumption of the vehicles and the emissions of the electricity mix. In addition, a more comprehensive reform of the calculation methodology seems sensible in order to adequately reflect the energy efficiency advantages of battery-electric trucks in the THG-quota logic,
