Future transport
Transport is essential to modern living. It drives economic growth, allowing countries to trade goods and communities to connect with one another. We are innovating to help people and goods move around an ever more crowded world more cleanly and efficiently.
Advances in mobility over the past century have helped to drive global economic growth, transforming countries and lives. Now, fast-growing populations and emerging economies are boosting demand.
And global trends such as urbanisation and internet connectivity are transforming the way people and products move around the world. By 2050, the number of people living in cities could double as the world population passes 9 billion, and the number of cars could double from 1 billion today.
There is a need to improve fuel efficiency and air quality by reducing emissions; both local emissions that cause air pollution in our towns and cities and the carbon dioxide (CO2) that contributes to global climate change. We see a mosaic of fuels and engines developing: some will be suited to short journeys within urban areas, while others could be better for longer journeys between cities.
Future Transport: the road ahead
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SHELL FUTURE TRANSPORT MP4
[Text appears]
Future transport
The road ahead
[Voice Over]
Transport accounts for more than a quarter of the world’s total energy use.
[Animated Sequence]
A blue and green globe zooms in to view with the word ‘Today’ appearing underneath.
A line moves round the interior of the globe turning it in to a pie chart with 3 segments, one with an illustration of a car, one a home and a one power plant.
A tanker and lorry appear in the segment with the car.
[Voice Over]
With global energy demand expected to rise by 30% by 2040, the need to move more people and goods must be balanced with efforts to cut carbon emissions.
[Animated Sequence]
The pie chart increases in size and the number ‘2040’ and the words ‘anticipated 30% growth in energy demand between 2015 & 2040 from IEA world energy outlook 2016’ appear underneath it.
The power plant illustration increases in size and the home illustration becomes a mini city to illustrate the increase in energy demand.
The globe zooms out of the screen to leave the car, tanker and lorry illustration with a grey cloud positioned to the right containing the lettering ‘CO2’.
A red arrow moves downwards from the cloud and another moves upwards next to the car, tanker and lorry illustration.
[Voice Over]
In the near term, innovations in engine, lubricants and fuel design can help improve efficiency and reduce emissions from vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
[Animated Sequence]
The whole illustration moves upwards out of view and engine parts flow in to view and connect together to form an engine.
4 lubricants containers appear to the left of the engine illustration.
The top contain pours lubricant in to the engine which flows through the engine parts.
[Voice Over]
Such engines are likely to power the majority of vehicles for the next couple of decades.
[Animated Sequence]
The container illustrations move upwards out of the scene and the engine flows in to a new illustration of a car.
The car sits in front of a petrol station with 2 road signs; one showing ’10 YRS’ and the other showing ’20 YRS’, both pointing to the right.
The car drives away from the petrol station in to the next illustration.
[Voice Over]
Looking further forward a range of fuel options will be required to meet growing demand in a low carbon world.
[Animated Sequence]
The car stops in front of an illustration depicting an area of vegetation growing in soil with the word ‘Biofuels’’ sitting above.
A trailer is being filled with the raw materials to make biofuels.
The car then moves along in to the next illustrated sequence.
[Voice Over]
With an ear to the evolving needs of our customers and society, Shell is developing other transport fuels including biofuels and liquefied natural gas and we are exploring opportunities for electric vehicles powered by both hydrogen and batteries.
[Animated Sequence]
An illustration builds up to depict a tanker in an ocean with a lorry and LNG storage tank.
The words ‘liquefied Natural Gas’ sit above.
The car moves forward to the next illustrated sequence.
The car drives past an impression of a station designed to serve electric vehicles with the word ‘Electric’ sitting above.
The car continues past the re-charging station.
The illustration pans out to show all three previous illustrations of the biofuel plant, LNG tanker and an impression of a station designed to serve electric vehicles.
[Voice Over]
We are working with the German Government and five companies to install a national network of fuelling pumps for hydrogen fuel cell electric cars by 2023.
[Animated Sequence]
A depiction of the German flag flows in from the left in a waved formation to fill the whole screen.
The flag decreases in size and the three colours separate out.
The illustration changes to that of a Hydrogen pump. This zooms out and appears within a solid green outline of Germany along with numerous other Hydrogen fuel pumps. The number 2023 appears below the map.
A network of moving lines join all the pairings together.
The illustration moves upwards out of shot.
[Voice Over]
Ultimately, we believe in achieving the greatest efficiencies possible with the fuels and vehicles which are available today while preparing for tomorrow.
[Animated Sequence]
The car drives past and briefly stops outside an illustration of a petrol station before continuing on.
The car changes shape and colour from yellow to blue.
This car drives on and stops in front of a conceptual illustration of a future fuelling station.
The car drives on past the station into the next illustration sequence which depicts an aeroplane flying upwards, a fuel tanker in a body of water and a lorry.
The Shell logo appears on screen. Underneath is written © Shell International 2016
The future of transport in Asia
Mobility in Asia is at a crossroads - rapid urbanisation, a growing middle class, congestion and air pollution are creating renewed demand for better transportation. Against this backdrop, evolving customer demands, digitalisation and sustainable recovery are critical frictions at the heart of Asia’s mobility challenge.
Cities on the Move is a report that provides insights into the key mobility trends across Asia, exploring how successful partnerships between governments, industry and society can improve transport for everyone.
Introducing cleaner ways of moving around
Did you know that transport makes up nearly 30% of the world’s energy use and around a quarter of global CO2 emissions? That’s a lot of energy...
So, it’s no surprise that more and more people are switching to cleaner modes of transport to get around.
Shell is investing in lower-carbon options to add to the global energy mix. Everything from more electric vehicle charging points to cleaner ways of moving around like hydrogen fuel.
Natural gas and alternative energies
Natural gas, the cleanest-burning hydrocarbon, could also play an important role in cleaner mobility.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) in particular is emerging as fuel for ships and trucks. LNG is gas that is chilled to a liquid, which shrinks its volume 600 times, making it easier to store and ship. It is cleaner than diesel and heavy fuel oil because it produces less sulphur, particulates and nitrogen oxides, and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from production to use.
Fuelling a future on Europe's waterways
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Fuelling a future on Europe's waterways
Norway, famous for its stunning fjords
and pristine environment,
a place where the future of energy
is not in the future any more.
Amid this tranquillity, a change is happening,
a change which may have an impact in countries
far beyond Norway.
Monday morning on the Mastrafjord ferry...
..a busy commuter route that's part of daily life
on the Stavanger Peninsula.
Two-million people use it to cross the Boknafjord each year.
This route is very important.
It's the second largest route in the country,
so people need these boats to work.
The ferry makes 42 crossings daily.
Today, sea fog is restricting visibility.
Captain Vikøren must draw on all his skill
to make the crossing safely.
When it's bad visibility,
the radar is the most important instrument.
You are steering
and you also keep an eye on the course and the speed.
Because of the weather, there are a lot of challenges here.
I'm just turning the boat now to get a better angle for the waves,
so it gets much calmer in the boat.
Below deck, the Mastrafjord is no ordinary ferry.
It's technically innovative.
Powered by liquefied natural gas or LNG,
gas that has been cooled to -162 Celsius,
shrinking it 600 times
and liquefying it for easy transportation and storage.
There were built five prototypes of this kind of ferry
and it's a new technology.
It shows that the world is moving forward. It's a new step.
The ferry's powerful gas engines
are some of the cleanest afloat.
Ship's mechanic, Ulrik Kjerpeset,
and chief engineer, Rolf Nilsen,
keep them running smoothly.
There you go.
I started working here four years ago.
I didn't know so much about LNG.
I think it's very positive.
You don't have to change the oil.
It's so clean. It never gets black.
It looks beautiful.
Tonight, Rolf and Ulrik will oversee the refuelling
of the Mastrafjord.
At a nearby storage plant,
LNG, destined for the ferry,
is being collected for delivery by truck.
Boats can also be refuelled
from another ship at sea or from a station on land.
The Mastrafjord is on a tight schedule
and delivering LNG by truck offers the most flexibility.
Gas car, are you ready?
Ulrik, are you ready?
The refuelling is a safe operation.
Rolf and Ulrik ensure everything runs according to plan.
Now you can open 354 and 352.
Open 354 and 352.
Tank car, you now are open for the nitrogen.
Mist forms,
as warm air contacts the freezing-cold pipes
that the LNG is pumped through.
The refuelling process takes 90 minutes.
Once complete, the Mastrafjord
has enough fuel to operate
for up to eight days.
Traditional shipping emissions
tend to have a high sulphur concentration.
From 2015, the EU will enforce strict new emissions limits
on air quality.
It's a change the Mastrafjord's owners, Fjord1,
are ready for.
We consider ourselves as a leader in the field of LNG.
We have put in an operation,
the world's first LNG ferry,
and today we have 12 such ferries running.
All in all, this is a step in the right direction
to find environmentally friendly transport solutions.
At the Shell Technology Centre in Amsterdam,
Tim Last tests and improves
the raw natural gas that's refined
to make the LNG product.
Before we produce the LNG,
we have to remove all those components
like hydrogen sulphide or CO2.
In Amsterdam we are trying to improve current processes
and to develop new processes for the future.
And part of my job is to help to improve the solvents we use
for cleaning up natural gas
coming out of the ground.
The solvents are necessary to make the process more efficient
and to make the gas cleaner,
because otherwise, it's not possible to liquefy the natural gas.
Tim and his team have been working for many years
to develop the refining process -
scientific research that's crucial to the success of LNG.
LNG as a transportation fuel
for the marine sector is going to be big.
So we look at inland waterways,
we look at the Baltics, some of the coastal areas in the US.
These are the early adopters of tighter emissions controls
but over time, this will spread to more and more ports and routes,
and LNG is really one of the best ways
to cope with those emissions constraints.
The benefits of LNG
are making waves across commercial shipping.
In the small fishing port of Åkrehamn,
trawler men, Jørgen Runehall and Henrik Anderson,
are excited by what they've heard.
There are a lot of changes out there with fishing
and with sailing, we'll have to think more and more about the environment.
You see around here, the ferries are starting to use LNG,
the newest ones.
Not yet, we have the technology for the small ships, like we have,
but maybe bigger fishing ships do
and I think that's a step in the right direction.
Treat the North Sea nicely,
so we can live on this fishing for many years.
LNG is not an immediate solution for Jørgen and Henrik
in their small fishing boats,
but it is already a reality today
with lots more potential.
The future of LNG as a transportation fuel
is not restricted to marine.
It's going to be used in road transportation, mining and in rail,
anywhere where fuel consumption is high
and they're looking for emissions control.
In order to be the world's most competitive
and innovative energy company,
it's vital for us to be at the forefront of new technologies.
The need for energy is increasing.
In order to preserve our unique environment,
the world needs smart and effective solutions.
LNG is an important part of this journey.
Our gas-to-liquids (GTL) process turns natural gas into high-quality liquid products for use in fuels and lubricants. Our GTL Gasoil, for example, burns with lower sulphur dioxide and fewer nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions than conventional oil-based diesel. It can be used to power trucks, buses and taxis.
Trials with Airbus, Qatar Airways and Rolls Royce led to the creation of gas-to-liquids GTL Jet Fuel, which reduces particulate emissions.
Hydrogen and advanced biofuels have the potential to play an important role in the future fuel mix. In Germany and the USA we have refuelling stations for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles – these vehicles produce no exhaust emissions at all. We continue to develop advanced biofuels from non-food plants at our technology centre in Houston USA.
In the meantime, our biofuels joint venture Raízen in Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers of low-emission ethanol made from sugar cane.
Increasing efficiency together
Shell started developing improved fuel economy formulas as early as the 1920s. We employ more than 300 scientists and engineers around the world dedicated to research and development (R&D) in lubricants and fuels for vehicles, shipping and aircraft.
To develop new fuels and engines for the future requires collaboration between energy suppliers and fuel retailers such as Shell, vehicle manufacturers, consumers, governments and city authorities. We need to work together to improve the fuel efficiency of road, air and sea transport in the future and reduce their CO2 emissions.
We already work closely with some of the biggest vehicle manufacturers including BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Honda and Hyundai. Our collaborations have led to new engines using our advanced lubricants to reduce friction and achieve better fuel efficiency.
For the past 60 years, we have partnered with Ferrari to develop more efficient fuels and lubricants for its Formula One racing cars. These have led to Shell Helix lubricants and Shell V-Power fuels for motorists.
Inspiring others to save energy
We help drivers go further with less fuel. Our Fuel Save Driver Education Programme helps them to improve their fuel economy by up to 24%. The most efficient commercial drivers can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 30%.
Since 1985, Shell Eco-marathon has challenged students to design, build and drive the most energy-efficient cars, helping raise awareness about the future of mobility and inspire young engineers to rethink ways of using energy.
Shell in transport facts
- Shell has been innovating to help people and goods move around the world for more than a century.
- We own the largest branded network of retail refuelling stations in the world, with around 43,000 service stations in more than 70 countries.
- In aviation, Shell refuels an aircraft every 12 seconds and supplies fuel at around 800 airports globally.
- In shipping, we provide fuels and lubricants to vessels ranging from container ships to fishing boats, serving more than 600 ports around the world.
- Our petrochemicals plants produce the raw materials that make plastic and synthetic materials, including those used to make vehicles.
- And, we are the world's largest producer of refined bitumen that surfaces roads and creates safer infrastructure.
