Sustainable Transport and the Environment Guide - Unite the Union

On balance it seems likely that hydrogen could be useful for short range larger
vehicles i.e. city based public transport, but is unlikely to be cost effective to power
other forms of transport on a significant scale.
The drawbacks to both hydrogen and agrofuels are particularly acute to the needs of
aviation fuel, such that a recent report by the House of Commons researchers stated
that “for the foreseeable future, kerosene will remain the only viable option [for
fuelling aircraft].” The report went on to observe that “aircraft designs do not at the
moment incorporate many of the features highlighted by the secretary of state...unless
there are some very rapid improvements in technology, it will be some time before
more environmentally friendly commercial aircraft are in widespread operation.” 26
Electric vehicles
Clearly electric vehicles also rely on energy production from existing or new sources,
much like hydrogen. They do need to be plugged in to recharge and therefore are
more suitable for short journeys within cities or for site vehicles, (unless there is
substantial investment in new infrastructure to enable ‘filling up’ on route. Although
these vehicles may produce less greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution in
cities, the same may not be true for the source of the electricity, with most electricity
in the UK currently produced by fossil fuels like coal and gas. For example is the
electricity produced by a polluting coal fired electricity station? Nonetheless electric
vehicles do ‘burn clean’ at the point of use which clearly has huge benefits to health
and safety as well as to the environment by roads and in cities. And there is greater
potential in the long term for genuinely renewable electricity (eg from wind, tidal and
wave) than for genuinely renewable liquid fuels.
Hybrid vehicles
By combining an electric engine and a conventional motor, hybrids are more fuel
efficient than a conventional petrol engine (in cities at least), but because the electric
battery is re-charged while the car is driving, they don’t require the additional
infrastructure that a wholly electric vehicle would require. Their size and relative
complexity also means they provide more jobs.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles
Perhaps the most promising in the short to medium term, these run on an electric
charge alone for the first 50 miles or so (thus meeting the majority of journey needs
with ultra low emissions and fuel use) and after that, run on a hybrid engine ie petrol
or diesel topped up by self-generated electric power, without the need for an extensive
charging infrastructure. Such vehicles are already being manufactured in buses (eg
Wrights in Northern Ireland) and most big car companies are hoping to roll out such
vehicles in the next 2 or 3 years, though cost will still be an issue until they are made
on a large scale.
International action - Market based mechanisms and carbon trading
26 http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2009/rp09-011.pdf
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