Transport
15% of 37 billion tonnes per year
Decarbonisation Pathway| 7 Sectorsmore details
| Sector | Emissions today | Decarbonisation pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger cars | Very high — largest single transport source; almost entirely internal combustion engine today | Fastest mover — EV adoption accelerating; cost parity reached or approaching in most markets; the transition is underway, the question is speed |
| Light commercial | High — vans and small trucks; similar drivetrain to passenger cars but higher utilisation | Following passenger cars with a lag — electrification technically mature; total cost of ownership already favourable in many fleet applications |
| Heavy trucking | High overall — short-haul urban and regional distribution is moderate; long-haul is the hardest road transport problem, with energy density requirements that strain battery economics at current technology | Split pathway — short-haul is transitioning now, with battery electric viable for defined routes and depot charging and growing commercial deployments; long-haul remains contested between battery and hydrogen fuel cell, with infrastructure the binding constraint either way and the 2030s the realistic transition decade |
| Aviation | Moderate to high — short-haul domestic routes are a meaningful but manageable source; long-haul intercontinental flights are very high intensity and energy density physics make battery solutions impossible at current technology | Split pathway — short-haul routes (under ~500km) are viable candidates for electric and hybrid aircraft by late 2020s, with SAF blending the near-term lever; long-haul is the hardest problem in transport, with SAF the only credible near-term pathway, green hydrogen and ammonia as long-run options, and full decarbonisation likely post-2040 |
| Shipping | Moderate to very high — short-sea coastal and ferry routes are a manageable source; deep-sea bulk carriers, container ships and tankers are very high intensity, with long voyages requiring enormous energy density that no current clean technology can match at scale | Split pathway — short-sea is transitioning now, with battery and hydrogen fuel cell both viable and several commercial deployments already operating; deep-sea is hard and slow, with ammonia and methanol emerging as the leading fuel candidates, newbuild decisions made today locking in emissions for 30 years, and the capital cycle the key constraint |
| Light transport | Two and three-wheelers; moderate in aggregate — enormous fleet size in Asia and Global South | Fast mover — electrification economics already compelling; leapfrog opportunity in markets without established ICE infrastructure |
| Off-road & agricultural | Moderate — construction equipment, farm machinery, mining vehicles | Active transition — electric and hydrogen deployments growing; total cost of ownership case building; longer replacement cycles slow the pace |
Roads
JetCharge
FeaturedAustralia
JetCharge integrates EV charging infrastructure assets into a rapidly de-carbonising grid. Their software helps integrate EV charging into the electricity grid, from energy management and smart charging, to grid demand response and vehicle to grid (V2G).
Janus Electric
januselectric.com.au ↗Australia
Electric truck startup - converting traditional trucks to batteries
Aviation
MAKO
FeaturedAustralia
MAKO (formerly Microtau) prints microscopic patterns inspired by nature to reduce drag and produce properties including anti-fouling, anti-bacterial and hydrophobic effects.
Founders
Reading
07/12/2024
02/11/2024
12/10/2024
02/10/2024