PREMIA - Assessment of Initiatives to Facilitate and Secure the Introduction of Alternative Motor Fuels in the European Union
Overview
Background & policy context:
The European Commission has set the objective to substitute 20% of motor fuel consumption by new and alternative fuels by the year 2020. Three categories of fuels are envisaged: biofuels, natural gas and hydrogen.
There are many constraints for a market introduction and large-scale application of these fuels. In any case big efforts will be needed to reach the objectives of the European Commission.
Certain alternative fuels are closer to market maturity than others. Biofuels could achieve market maturity rather soon (at the time of this project it was estimated up to 2010), while hydrogen is much further away from market maturity (estimated up to 2020). So the actions to secure their market introduction may require different approaches.
Although a general European approach is most obvious, country specific conditions and constraints may require different approaches in different countries. The strategy to introduce alternative motor fuels is best adapted to the specific country legislation, the available resources (e.g. land for biofuels), supply opportunities and available energy sources and available infrastructure.
Objectives:
The objective of the project was to investigate the cost effectiveness of measures to support the large-scale introduction of alternative motor fuels and alternatively fuelled vehicles in the EU15 and the Candidate Countries, in relation to the market maturity of the technology and the country dependent situation.
The focus was on biofuels, as a ready-to-market alternative fuel, and hydrogen as a fuel further away from market maturity. Current and past initiatives to facilitate and secure the market introduction of alternative motor fuels (R&D support, demonstration actions and direct incentives) would be evaluated for their role in the process towards market introduction of alternative motor fuels.
Methodology:
The following methods have been employed:
- literature review: state of the art of AMF, development of indicators;
- local workshops: national boundary conditions for introduction AMF and policy measures, dissemination;
- expert interviews: effectiveness of ongoing and past RD&D, incentive programs;
- international workshops: international cooperation on assessment framework, dissemination;
- modelling: Scenario calculations for the introduction of AMF in the EU and policy recommendations.
PROJECT WORK PACKAGES
- WP1: Technological status and prospects of AMF.
- WP2: International incentives on AMF.
- WP3: Assessment of long-term options in the EU-Hydrogen.
- WP4: Assessment of short-term options in the EU-biofuels and large scale natural gas.
- WP5: Country specific situations.
- WP6: Scenario calculations for EU-15.
- WP7: Policy issues.
- WP8: Dissemination.
- WP9: Project Management
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