Climate Change and Tourism - UNEP - Division of Technology ...

12.1.2 Surface Transport
Car transport
UNWTO, 9 July 2008
Mitigation Policies and Measures
The car is the most widely used mode of surface-bound transport for tourism. Most cars used by tourists
are privately owned, but rental cars take an increasing share of car use at destinations. In this Section we
describe the general technological developments with respect to the emissions of cars and give some
examples of what destinations and fleet owners can do to reduce emissions.
In car transport, most vehicles still operate with traditional petrol or diesel based combustion engines.
Improvements in fuel efficiency have been made through advanced engine technology (e.g., direct fuel
injection) and more efficient transmission. In the last 15 years, however, the advances in energy efficiency
have been counteracted by the development of more powerful, larger vehicles with more technological
extras such as air conditioning. As a result, average fuel consumption has basically stagnated since
the 1990s. 680 Consequently, the most substantial reductions in fuel use could be achieved by using
smaller vehicles, based on the combination of lower weights, less power, and reduced speeds. In some
countries, rental vehicle fleets are more efficient than the average vehicle as they tend to be newer and
have smaller engines. 681 Tourism businesses could build on this leadership role and promote fuelefficient
vehicles.
Alternative engine technologies include electricity-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles and the use of
biofuels or hydrogen. Electric vehicles are very energy efficient and they have no tailpipe emissions
of harmful pollutants (which makes them attractive for tourism), although the power plant producing
the electricity will emit them,* unless renewable energies or nuclear power are used. 682 There are
a number of down sides to electric vehicles, mainly related to battery capacity, battery loading and
unloading energy losses, added weight and volume of batteries, as well as energy losses at power
stations. Most of these disadvantages do not exist for electric trains, trams, metros and trolley busses
that are directly coupled to the grid. Most batteries using electric vehicles have a limited autonomy and
driving range of about 300 km, and recharging can take up to 8 hours. Notwithstanding this, electric
vehicles have become popular in some destinations because they are quiet and non-polluting. Yosemite
National Park is an example where electric buses were put into service for tourism purposes. Some
cities use electric-powered buses, trolleys, and mini cars for tourists (Figure 12.2). However, these are
exceptions in comparison to the majority of tourism transports.
Figure 12.2 Electric vehicle fleet for tourists in Werfenweng, Austria
Photo credit: Scott, D.
* Emission abating is more effective at larger scale such as for electric power plants. Low emission technology (wind, solar)
can be used directly and does not need inefficient energy transformation processes, for example to produce hydrogen.
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