Establishing the requirements to support improved adoption of alternate technologies for the long-haul road freight decarbonisation

Abstract

The UK has a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which will require the decarbonisation of road transport. However, in the long-haul road freight segment, the optimal pathway to achieving net-zero is uncertain. This review paper explores and evaluates existing approaches to building decarbonisation pathways for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The search and review methodology, utilising the frameworks SALSA, PRISMA, and PESTEL, found gaps in three main aspects of pathway building. While a number of the studies considered vehicle or energy systems, a few took a broader system-level view. The parameters used for measuring the utility of the alternate technology required to achieve net-zero were not comprehensive. Further, the pathways lacked a socio-technical approach. The findings from the research have been used to provide insights and a conceptual framework that can be used for building a comprehensive model for improving technology adoption for the HGV decarbonisation pathways.