Kevin Colby: News, culture, political blog

Demand for mobility grows strongly in both of Shell’s future scenarios. People will travel more than twice as much by 2050 and there will be over two billion vehicles on the roads, up from 900 million today. Even in a “Blueprints” world, liquid fuels, including more biofuels, provide the bulk of transport needs in 2050.

Less local pollution

Cutting smog and pollution from vehicles, particularly in the fast-growing mega-cities of the developing world, will become an even more urgent challenge. Stringent regulations on local emissions, combined with new engine and fuel technologies, are vital. In the European Union, for example, this combination has helped reduce local vehicle pollutants by more than half since the early 1990s.

They have removed the lead from all their petrol and were one of the first companies to produce “zero” sulphur diesel on a commercial scale. They are continuing to reduce sulphur levels in other fuels and see great promise for Shell’s gas to liquids (GTL) Fuel, made from natural gas. Colourless, odourless and virtually sulphur-free, it is the most cost effective alternative fuel for reducing local air emissions, according to an independent study conducted for the city of Shanghai. A recent trial, using neat Shell GTL Fuel in four public buses in Shanghai, found it significantly reduced harmful emissions like particulates and nitrogen oxides compared to conventional diesel.

Shell has pioneered GTL Fuel and lubricants and is building the world’s largest GTL plant, Pearl GTL, in Qatar. When completed around the turn of the decade, it will produce enough fuel to fill over 160,000 cars a day and enough oil each year to make lubricants for more than 225 million cars.

Shell fuel economy formula – going further, using less

Shell is serious about helping customers improve their fuel efficiency. Shell’s Fuel Economy formula fuels contain blends of advanced additives and cleaning agents that can help improve drivers’ fuel efficiency by reducing energy loss in engines. In 2007, they increased the availability of Fuel Economy formula fuels, which are available in main grade Shell petrol in 18 countries and main grade Shell diesel in six of these. In eight countries, they also launched the Shell FuelSave Challenge, a publicity campaign for motorists and training programme for professional drivers. The aim is to help drivers improve their fuel economy by adapting fuel-saving driving habits and by using Shell’s Fuel Economy products. In trials conducted in 2007, nearly half the drivers taking part in the Challenge raised their fuel economy by more than 5%. More than a quarter improved by over 10%.

Tackling CO2 emissions from transport

Vehicles already cause a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions. So reducing CO2 from transport will be an urgent challenge. More efficient vehicles and advanced fuels and lubricants that improve fuel economy will be needed. So will a lot more, and better, biofuels. To get there, technology and regulation will have to work together.

Government policy for a low CO2 transport sector

Getting government transport policies right is essential. In addition to tightening fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, and stimulating the use of public transport and car-pooling, policies to encourage fuels with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions are also needed. They are building support for these policies – for example, through the European Petroleum Industry Association and the UK’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. The idea is to compare all fuels on a common well-to-wheels basis (which assesses how much CO2 is emitted when making, transporting and using them) and reward those that have a lower CO2 impact.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen fuel for transport is a longer-term option. Its use spreads after 2030 in a “Blueprints” world, and requires a completely new distribution infrastructure, as well as more affordable fuel-cell vehicles. They are the first energy company to build demonstration hydrogen refuelling stations in all three key hydrogen markets: Europe, Japan and North America. In 2007, they participated in two more projects. In November, Shell provided technical advice and partly funded Shanghai’s first hydrogen station in partnership with Tongji University, the local government and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. They also opened another Shell Hydrogen station in White Plains, New York.

Visit Shell.com to learn more.