Long-distance heavy freight review report
A review on the existing literature on green hydrogen applied to the long-distance heavy freight task in New Zealand.
Ara Ake engaged NERA Economic Consulting to conduct a review of the economics of using green hydrogen to decarbonise long-distance heavy freight (LDHF) in New Zealand.
The research question asked to address is, “what needs to be true for green hydrogen to be the most economic path to decarbonising LDHF?”. New Zealand’s heavy truck fleet contributes 27% of all transport emissions but accounts for only 7% of total annual travel.
As MBIE’s A Vision for Hydrogen green paper notes, it is unlikely there will be a single pathway that will decarbonise the entire transport sector. Even narrowing to heavy freight, categorised as goods vehicles over 12 tonnes, 5 multiple decarbonisation alternatives will likely be required. This is due to the differing demands of vehicle tasks (such as distance, weight carried or number of stops) and the suitability of different low- and/or zero-emission alternatives for each task. The appropriate decarbonisation path for LDHF (distinct from heavy freight) is particularly uncertain due to the range and weight demands of the task.
