The three pillars for Sustainable transport

Scania’s approach to sustainable transport rests on three pillars that aim to optimise the transport system on different levels: energy efficiency (“optimising the distance”), renewable fuels and electrification (“optimising the energy”), and smart and safe transport (“optimising the transport system”). Individually or together, and when combined with our unique flow thinking, these three pillars can help make our transport systems cleaner, safer and more efficient.

This seamless integration between vehicle technology and optimised transport flows is the basis of our solutions. In doing so, we are able to deliver enhanced profitability while driving the shift towards a more viable transport system. While the pillars are designed to solve our customers’ sustainability challenges in the short term, they also help future-proof their operations. Connectivity will be one of the key enablers of autonomous transport for example, our focus on energy efficient powertrains is equally valid for fully electric powertrains. In this way the solutions we provide today are laying the foundations for the autonomous, connected and electrified transport systems of tomorrow.

Renewable biofuels play an important role in our three pillared approach to sustainable transport for a very good reason. Until other solutions such as electrification become available at a large scale, biofuels are the best, and in some cases the only option currently available for substantially reducing carbon emissions in the near term. These fuels are also a vital stepping stone in our transition to an entirely fossil-free transport future, which was also a conclusion of the Pathways Study.

The Pathways Study looks at four possible pathways to achieving fossil-free commercial transport by 2050. The study found that increasing the use of biofuels is the pathway that offers the highest carbon reductions in the shortest amount of time. However, electrification will be the most efficient and cost-effective route in the long term.