In 2018, road transport of goods and passengers accounted for 74% of total CO2 emissions from the transport sector. To reduce the environmental impact of the mobility and logistics sectors, the European Union is amending existing laws and working on a new legislative scheme for emerging technologies and markets. At the same time, it is sponsoring a variety of projects and initiatives all over the continent. The idea is to encourage the use of vehicles that use alternative fuels and to build infrastructures that use Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS). The projects sponsored by the European Union include the Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T), and the Connect Europe Mechanism or C-Roads project.

Another objective is to reduce environmental damage, for which some European cities have already rolled out urban sustainability plans. These improvements include measures to control vehicle access to cities, improve public transport and ramp up mobility services, etc.

The CAPV has also approved the Circular Economy Strategy of the Basque Country 2030. This document highlights the transition to a circular economy in the mobility sector (automotive and aeronautical) and the metal sector, which account for half of potential savings in raw materials consumed by industry.

Analysis and trends

In this context, the infrastructure report looks at four key areas of research in the mobility and logistical sector: sustainable vehicles, connected mobility, smart mobility and logistics 4.0, and reviews the new technologies and public strategies associated with each trend. There is also a section on the circular economy that proposes switching to this model by converting emerging environmental requirements into opportunities, which entails not only finding new technological proposals, but also spotting new niches in the market.