Date: 2025-01-15 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00016657
Sustainable Transport
Role of BP
The future of transport ... Transport’s dual challenge: how can we keep the world moving while reducing emissions?
Peter Burgess
The future of transport
Transport’s dual challenge: how can we keep the world moving while reducing emissions?
The future of transport
For more than a century, BP has helped keep the world moving. But technology, consumer behaviour and regulation are fundamentally changing the way that people and goods move around.
At the same time, society faces a dual challenge – how to deliver more of the energy needed as demand grows, while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The scale of the challenge means that all opportunities need to be considered to decarbonize transport. Today’s transportation accounts for around a quarter of carbon emissions and BP’s analysis suggests that, if recent trends continue, the number of cars on roads could nearly double in the next two decades, rising to almost two billion.
Electric vehicles – a growing part of the solution
Electric vehicles will play a major role in lowering emissions from transport. At BP, we are working hard to bring this revolution to our customers. That’s why we’re investing in new forms of infrastructure and technology such as ultra-fast charging. We now provide a network of 6,500 charging points across the UK, and plan to roll out ultra-fast charging on our forecourt network.
At BP, we see an especially important role for building a national network of high-power charging – one which would closely replicate the current fuelling experience.
Tufan Erginbilgic,chief executive, Downstream Read the speech on how BP is embracing electric vehicles and the important role that high-power charging can play
Electrification is just one of the ways in which we can keep the world moving while reducing emissions. There are other options too, including greater efficiency in conventional engines, biofuels and advanced fuels.
These options can play an important role in tackling emissions from cars in the short to medium term while some of the stumbling blocks to EV ownership are overcome. BP’s Energy Outlook suggests that at least half of Europe’s cars and more than two thirds of the world’s could still have internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2040. What’s more, based on recent trends, oil could still power the majority of passenger transport.
Energy illustrated: electric cars 3:34
Energy illustrated: electric cars Read the industry statement on ultra-rapid charging
There is no single answer
If the world is to meet the dual challenge, decarbonizing the transport system cannot be a race to a single mobility solution.
The European Commission in its recent long-term climate strategy recognised that “electrification using renewables alone will not be the single silver bullet for all transport modes”; and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlights the important role that biofuels and other alternative fuels such as hydrogen and e-fuels could play, in some scenarios providing over 50% of transport energy by 2050.
So, the world needs to embrace new engines, new fuels and new technologies and we need investment and policies that support their development.
At BP, we believe that means:
- Technology-neutral policies towards lowering transport emissions.
- Support for sustainable biofuels.
BP is active across many of these areas, using its global scale, experience and partnerships to play a leading role. The mobility revolution is underway and, by working together with industry, governments and consumers, we can help the world keep advancing. After all, we want to be the transport energy provider of choice for another century, regardless of how the vehicle is powered.
What is BP doing?
We're working hard to advance a range of technologies to help lower transport emissions as fast as possible:
BP invests in PowerShare, one of China’s leading electric vehicle charging platforms BP invests in PowerShare, one of China’s leading electric vehicle charging platforms 24 January 2019
BP and RocketSpace test advanced mobility solutions with global start-ups BP and RocketSpace test advanced mobility solutions with global start-ups 9 October 2018
BP to acquire the UK’s largest electric vehicle charging company BP to acquire the UK’s largest electric vehicle charging company 28 June 2018
BP invests in ultra-fast charging battery company StoreDot BP invests in ultra-fast charging battery company StoreDot 22 May 2018 BP and China’s NIO Capital to explore opportunities in advanced mobility BP and China’s NIO Capital to explore opportunities in advanced mobility 10 May 2018 BP invests in mobile electric vehicle charging company FreeWire to deliver rapid charging at retail sites 30 January 2018 BP rolls out its best ever anti-dirt Ultimate fuels 11 April 2017 BP and DuPont joint venture, Butamax®, announces next step in commercialization of bio-isobutanol with acquisition of ethanol facility in Kansas 3 April 2017 BP announces investment of $30 million in biojet producer, Fulcrum 8 November 2016