The impact of energy policies in scenarios on GHG emission reduction in passenger car mobility in the EU-15

This paper compares and discusses possible greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions due to different policy measures implemented in passenger car transport in the EU-15. The major instruments analyzed are fuel and registration taxes, support measures for biofuels as well as standards for specific CO2 emissions from new passenger cars. The methodology applied is based on scenarios for the dynamic development of GHG emissions and energy consumption depending on implemented policies. Using the ALTER-MOTIVE model, created in the scope of an EU-funded project, in a dynamic framework a Business as usual and a Policy scenario are compared to extract the impacts of policies up to 2030. The major result is that in total, GHG emissions could be reduced at least by 33% in a selected Policy scenario compared to a Business-as-usual scenario up to 2030. In the future only a broad portfolio of different policy instruments and alternative technologies and fuels can reduce energy consumption and the resulting GHG emissions remarkably. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.