It’s time to double down and accelerate!
By: Andreas Follér, Chief Sustainability Officer within the Traton Group
Andreas Follér, Chief Sustainability Officer within the Traton Group, which Scania is part of, encourages all businesses to accelerate their electrification efforts.
In March, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released yet another report, the AR6 Synthesis Report. Again, and in clear language, the scientists warned us about allowing the global temperature to increase beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The science is clear: current climate plans are inadequate to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, and the risks to our environment, our food systems and our societies are severe. But if we take immediate, transformative action, a safer, more just and sustainable world is possible.
We all know what we need to do, but here we go again. We must end our dependence on fossil fuels and rapidly move to a stable, clean energy system. Leaving fossil fuels behind will lead to healthier and more secure communities now and in the future.
BEVs can slash life-cycle carbon emissions
For the industry my company is a part of, the path forward is zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles powered by fossil-free electricity, the main solution being battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. BEVs can slash life-cycle carbon emissions by more than 95 percent compared with diesel-powered vehicles. And yes, in just a few years our customers will be able to fulfil all their transport assignments with Scania Group BEVs, and the total cost of operations will be on par with conventional technology in many markets.
A few weeks back the EU Commission communicated the new standards for the CO2 regulation for commercial vehicle OEMs. The proposal says that our products on average should emit 45 percent less in 2030 and 90 percent less in 2040 compared with the base year 2019. This will require a technology adoption of breathtaking speed. And we are ready for it!
Electrification of transport requires a system shift
But this will require a system shift. We need the green energy, we need the grid to deliver it to the roads, the hubs and the depots, and we need the charging infrastructure. A whopping 50,000 charge points will be needed for the EU alone by 2030. So decisive action from governments, utilities and others are needed to drive every part of the system to deliver the deep emissions cuts the world needs.
To all corporations concerned with the future of our planet, if you haven’t done this already, get your carbon-reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, commit to cutting emissions in line with the 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway, identify the path for your industry, work with management to hardwire it into your strategies and be clear with your stakeholders on what you need to deliver.
It’s time to double down on our efforts and accelerate!
Andreas Follér, Chief Sustainability Officer within the Traton Group
About the author
Andreas Follér, long-time Head of Sustainability at Scania, has been an integral part of the company’s journey for a fossil-free future. Since January 2023 he has been Chief Sustainability Officer within the Traton Group, which Scania is part of. This blog post is an adaptation of a post originally published on his LinkedIn page. Follow Andreas on LinkedIn.
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