Policy Tools for the Decarbonisation of Urban Freight Transport in Brazil

Sammanfattning: There has been an increase in the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the last 3 decades. A large share of these emissions is produced by the transport sector. In 2010 alone, global transport accounted for 7 GtCO2 eq and approximately 23% of total energy-related CO2 emissions. In order for the decarbonisation of the transport sector, one of the most important strategies is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel consumption can be reduced by rolling out more battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on public roads. This is one of the methods by which the concept of electromobility is promoted. In order to increase the share of EVs, many countries have implemented different policies that promote the electrification of the transport sector. With respect to freight transport, electric commercial vans are one of the feasible choices.  This Master thesis involves a quantitative study which focus on the “total cost of ownership” (TCO) of light commercial vehicles (LCVs). Two diesel vans currently used in Curitiba, Brazil were selected - the Sprinter van by Mercedes-Benz and the Master van by Renault. In addition, their electric counterparts were also chosen; in conjunction, a sensitivity analysis with respect to fuel prices and annual distance driven was conducted. The results showed that the TCO of the electric LCVs is around 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than their diesel versions. As far as the two van model types were concerned, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter had a higher TCO than the Renault Master over the chosen vehicle lifetime for both the diesel and electric versions, with the difference around 7.5% for the diesel versions and approximately 13% for the electric versions.  Based on the results of the TCO study, possible economic policies and fiscal instruments were recommended with regards to light commercial freight transport for Curitiba.