Cleaner cars with the Global Fuel Economy Initiative

THE PROBLEM

The global vehicle fleet is set to grow from less than one billion to 2.5 billion or more by 2050. Ninety per cent of this growth is taking place in non-OECD countries. At the same time the average vehicle efficiency of non-OECD countries is getting worse and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per vehicle are increasing. Even though vehicles in OECD countries are, in contrast getting more efficient, CO2 emissions of the global fleet are increasing and are set to increase even more sharply in the years to come.

Cleaner cars with the Global Fuel Economy Initiative

Improving fuel economy has many co-benefits for human health, the natural environment and the economy. These include the reduction of black carbon emissions and the subsequent improvement of urban air quality, a reduction in a country’s dependence on oil and cheaper transport for consumers.
Many countries have put policies in place that promote cleaner and more efficient vehicles and have adopted ambitious long-term targets. Cost effective cleaner technologies such as smaller engines (with more power), lighter cars and low resistance tyres have improved vehicle efficiency. Hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles are now entering many markets.
The policies that have been successful are a mix of fiscal measures (taxes for polluting cars and tax breaks for cleaner cars), communication (such as labeling showing the efficiency of the car) and standards (for example restricting the importation of used vehicles). Regrettably very few developing countries and economies in transition have put in place these policies and thus there is an urgent need to transfer knowledge and technologies in this area.

THE SOLUTION

UNEP, the FIA Foundation, the International Transport Forum, the International Energy Agency and the International Council for Clean Transportation launched the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) in 2008. The GFEI promotes and supports automotive fuel economy aiming at a doubling of automotive fuel economy by 2050 (roughly going from 8l/100 km to 4l/100 km). The GFEI has started promoting the issue of fuel efficiency globally and is supporting more than 20 countries around the world in establishing policies.

THE IMPACTS

Over the coming decades over US$400 trillion is expected to be invested in fuels and vehicles. By putting in place fuel economy policies in all countries, more than a gigatonne of CO2 emissions per year can be avoided by 2030 and over two gigatonnes by 2050. By saving six billion barrels of oil per year in 2050, with an oil price of US$125/ barrel this would come close to US$800 billion.
Over the past years the GFEI has started 13 country projects. For example in Kenya UNEP has established the fuel efficiency baseline of the existing fleet, allowing the government to develop fuel economy strategies. In Ethiopia UNEP is working with the Government to develop fuel economy policies. In Chile, the Congress just adopted new labeling requirements showing the fuel efficiency of vehicles. The GFEI is in talks with another 18 countries that are keen to also develop national automotive fuel economy policies.

SUPPORT

Five GFEI partners; EU and Global Environment Facility Trust Funds; Experts and representatives from oil and vehicles industry; NGOs.

WEBSITE

• www.globalfueleconomy.org

SUCCESS STORY

In Chile, transport is one of the most rapidly growing end-use energy sectors, and emits about one-third of Chile’s energy related GHG emissions. In the context of the GFEI initiative, the Congress just adopted new labeling requirements showing the fuel efficiency of vehicles. With UNEP’s support, Chile is also preparing a system of incentives for low emission and fuel efficient vehicles, and disincentives for inefficient vehicles to promote a vehicle fleet transformation towards more efficient vehicles that present less local and global pollutant emissions. It is estimated that the incentive and disincentive system will imply a 5 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions from the total national vehicle fleet in 2014, obtaining a total CO2 reduction of 2.15 million tons in 5 years.

Source : Re-blogged from http://www.unep.org

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