The Road Ahead: Electrification, Design and Mobility for Efficient Transport

The Energy Transitions Commission’s insights briefing, highlights that the road transport sector could cut around 70% of energy demand by 2050 while supporting 70% growth in passenger and commercial vehicle travel.

Road transport productivity improvements can deliver both rising mobility and falling energy demand.

• Over 90% of the energy reductions can be achieved by electrification and engineering alone, reducing the need for personal lifestyle or behavioural changes.
• Lighter designs, sharper aerodynamics, denser batteries, and smart motors and tyres could allow EVs of 2050 to use half the electricity per kilometre of today.
• While autonomous vehicles (AVs) can optimise commercial operations, passenger AVs may offset these gains and increase congestion.

This insights briefing forms part of ETC’s analysis of the potential to improve energy productivity (value created per unit of energy input) across major sectors, including road transport, buildings and heavy industries, and policies required to seize this potential. Across all sectors, global GDP could double by 2050 while using a quarter less energy than today.