Eco-friendly, literally friend of the environment. It is the parameter that the transport of the future must strictly respect. A revolution that starts from the streets, continues on the tracks and reaches the sea. Electric cars, hydrogen trains, sustainable ships. Research and development on these vehicles is at an advanced stage, but unfortunately their circulation is not yet so widespread, on the contrary. Electric vehicles are a very current case.
The EV sector, favored by a shower of state incentives which has exploded the market in China for example, still has to deal with excessively high costs which make it uncompetitive compared to the traditional car segment. Yet the environmental benefits are known by all: according to various studies, electric cars can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions into the air by more than 50% compared to internal combustion engines. In its latest survey, ISPRA recorded that around a third of the carbon dioxide released into the air in Italy is attributable to transport, while global statistics show that 11.9% of CO2 present in the atmosphere is produced from cars.
With electric, these numbers can be drastically reduced. Furthermore, electric machines require significantly less maintenance. Forget about oil changes, fuel filters, timing belts or mufflers. Not to mention refueling: goodbye petrol pumps, here are the charging stations.
The green discussion applies even more to the train, which remains the friendliest and most environmentally friendly means of collective transport. Today in Italy electrified lines (single track or double track) are the vast majority of those in operation, for a total of 12,205 kilometres. Not only in recent years, thanks to the commitment of the main operators and the Regions, from north to south, have we seen the introduction of increasingly eco-sustainable convoys. But experimenting with even more innovative solutions could represent a further step forward towards the technological forefront. If the United States, intending to renew the high-speed network, has recently expressed its interest in the famous Japanese bullet trains, Europe has decided to rely on renewables.
From solar energy in the United Kingdom to the wind power used by carriages in the Netherlands, tests are underway on hydrogen lines, including in Italy with the Coradia Stream H vehicles. A world that is equally sailing on the wave of change is that maritime. In 2022, international sea transport generated 2% of CO2. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set 2050 as the target to achieve net zero emissions (NZE). In the Nze scenario imagined by the International Energy Agency (Iae), in 2030 15% of the fuel consumed for maritime transport will be biofuel.
Obviously it won't be a walk in the park, but encouraging signs are coming from shipping. Orders as well as trials of electric and wind-assisted propulsion ships are growing everywhere. And an alternative that is starting to take hold, also proposed by the United Nations at the COP summits, is the use of ammonia as ship fuel.
In short, many different ways to achieve a single purpose: decarbonisation.