What Can Sweden Learn from California’s Transition of Heavy-Duty Transportation?

Why is it important to discuss the energy transition in heavy-duty transportation right now?

– The energy transition is a global challenge that must be driven by local actors in different contexts. How we reduce emissions from heavy-duty transportation depends both on the ability of global companies to scale up new solutions and on how these solutions can be integrated into local transport systems. To create change, we therefore need to share experiences internationally in order to understand how we can collaborate and learn from each other. This may be especially important right now, as political developments are moving in different directions internationally.

The visit from California is part of the Vinnova-funded project SENITH, led by Joel Löfving, which focuses on electrification and hydrogen solutions for heavy-duty transportation. Following seminars, workshops and study visits in Sweden, the delegation will continue to Brussels for meetings with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport to discuss the future of sustainable transport systems and how electrification and hydrogen can contribute to the transition.

Why is California so interesting to follow when it comes to electrification and zero-emission transportation?

– California has long dealt with problems related to poor air quality and therefore has extensive experience in reducing emissions from the transport sector. At the same time, both the goals and the conditions differ somewhat from ours. Especially now, when federal policy no longer supports California’s efforts in the same way, it is very interesting to discuss how to navigate the challenges that arise in order to continue driving the transition forward.

What do you hope participants will take away from Lew Fulton and Lillian Liu?

– I hope participants will gain new ideas about how policy and research can help facilitate the introduction of cleaner transportation technologies in Sweden and Europe. Hopefully, the seminar can also provide new perspectives on the barriers and opportunities seen in other parts of the world – and renewed energy in the work of advancing the energy transition, both locally and globally.

Why are international collaborations important for Chalmers?

– Energy challenges must be addressed both globally and locally. That means we cannot work in silos; we need collaborations, exchanges of ideas and international networks in order to tackle these challenges together. International collaborations are, on the one hand, a necessity, and on the other hand something that can strengthen both our research and our communication.

How does your own research connect to the themes of the seminar?

– California has come further than Sweden in the rollout of hydrogen vehicles. Understanding their experiences and objectives in that work is therefore very valuable for improving our understanding of how we can and should use hydrogen in Sweden and Europe.

Battery-electric solutions are often discussed in contrast to hydrogen for heavy-duty transportation. How do you view that discussion?

– We need to continue exploring different technologies to understand where they can be most useful. Batteries are constantly improving and showing increasing potential, which makes it important to understand how – and whether – batteries and hydrogen can or should coexist. This is another area where there will be interesting discussions during the seminar, since views on the respective roles of these technologies may differ from ours in certain ways.