Ardian has announced it is launching a free, open version of Ardian AirCarbon, its proprietary emission quantification and reduction tool for the aviation industry. The company shared that this is the first platform showing average daily carbon emissions per country and aircraft efficiency indicators for most commercial airports worldwide. This new open version of Ardian AirCarbon aims to monitor the progress made on aviation decarbonisation on a global scale.
It provides open access to the aggregated Scope 3 carbon emissions of airports within each country. This is in addition to more in-depth aircraft efficiency indicators such as the proportion of high, medium and low fuel efficiency aircraft in the overall aircraft mix of an airport at any given date.
It was noted that it complies with the recommended methodology from the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA), the global certification program for airport carbon management.
Ardian AirCarbon has been developed since 2019 by Ardian’s Data Science and IT teams in close collaboration with its portfolio airport teams to support the Scope 3 emissions dynamic assessment at airports where the Infrastructure team is an investor.
The company highlighted that Scope 3 is estimated to represent more than 95 per cent of an airport’s emissions, covering all indirect emissions, such as those generated by an aircraft landing, take-off and taxiing, or airport ground vehicles.
It was shared that the platform uses granular, real-time operations data to quantify and project emissions, and is currently deployed in five airports across Europe (Keflavík, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Naples and Turin) and covers a total of 59 million yearly passengers.
According to the company, the goal is for the platform to become a tool for the entire airport ecosystem and to support the aviation sector in achieving net zero.
Commenting on the announcement, Mathias Burghardt, Executive Vice President and Head of Infrastructure at Ardian, said: “Making Ardian AirCarbon open and available to all stakeholders is an important step in supporting the transition to a more sustainable industry.
“As a long-term investor and shareholder in airports, it is our duty to help secure the future of aviation for the next generations and to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. We look forward to working with the entire aviation ecosystem to control emissions, because collectively we need to act now.”
Meanwhile, Pauline Thomson, Head of Data Science and Managing Director of Infrastructure at the company, called Ardian AirCarbon an “essential tool” for airports seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and participate in the decarbonisation of the industry.
“With this open version, we are proud to offer our expertise and help the industry achieve its ambitious net-zero goals by making it easier to access and track emissions data. We invite the whole aviation industry to use Ardian AirCarbon and join us in this essential mission,” added Thomson.
Al Ghurair Motors, the automotive arm of Al Ghurair, has announced a new dealership agreement with TAM-Europe, a Slovenia-based commercial vehicle manufacturer, to become the exclusive dealer for TAM-Europe all-electric vehicles across the UAE.
The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was attended by John Iossifidis, GCEO at Al Ghurair, and Yusef Ma, CEO at TAM-Europe, along with other senior representatives from both companies.
Commenting on the announcement of the dealership agreement, John Iossifidis, GCEO, Al Ghurair, said: “At Al Ghurair, we take pride in contributing to cities of the future across the industries we operate in. In the automotive sector, we actively seek innovative solutions and technologies that disrupt the status quo and create lasting value for our customers.
“This partnership exemplifies our commitment to supporting the UAE’s long-term vision for safe, smart, and sustainable urban mobility solutions. We look forward to collaborating closely with TAM-Europe to turn this vision into reality.”
Yusef Ma, CEO, TAM-Europe, added: “TAM-Europe is a leader in sustainable transportation solutions. Our eco-friendly vehicles are specifically designed to endure the UAE’s demanding climate, ensuring optimal performance without compromise. This partnership allows us to contribute directly to the UAE’s ambitious sustainability goals. We’re excited to join forces with Al Ghurair Motors and be a part of the nation’s journey towards a cleaner, greener future.”
A new report on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by the Institute for Policy Studies looks at the claims made by the aviation industry and the reality behind them. The report, Greenwashing the Skies – How the Private Jet Lobby Uses “Sustainable Aviation Fuels” as a Marketing Ploy, concludes that “largely, so far,” these fuels are a “false solution.”
The report outlines that SAF technologies are not moving at the speed of climate change, and no realistic or scaleable alternative to kerosene-based fuels currently available would meet current aviation needs or projections of future growth.
The report also concludes that scaling up SAF production could work against climate emission reduction goals, noting that SAFs still emit CO2, and sometimes more than regular aviation fuel.
Accompanying agricultural land use changes could also threaten global food security, and undermine reforestation efforts, the report says.
Further, it states that realistic increases in SAF production are decades off, and to meet the 2050 target of 35 billion gallons, production would have to increase 227,400 per cent over 2022 production levels.
Moreover, it outlines that the aviation industry has a twenty-year history of missing benchmarks it set for itself for SAF production.
For example, in 2007, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that within a decade, SAFs would account for 10 per cent of all jet fuel consumed by the aviation sector, which was never met.
Likewise, it predicted SAFs would hold a 3 per cent market share by 2020. However, it currently accounts for just 0.2 per cent of the total jet fuel supply.
It also notes that the aviation industry is “already lobbying to weaken standards and sustainability definitions.”
The report makes a number of recommendations:
- More independent research on the viability of sustainable aviation fuels,
- Reject the inclusion of ethanol-based fuel as a SAF,
- More severe penalties for greenwashing/false advertisement,
- Ensure private jets pay their real costs: Increase private jet fuel taxes,
- Institute a “short hop” surcharge for private aviation,
- Ban short hop flights,
- Levy a transfer tax on private jet sales and resales,
- Invest in sustainable public transportation,
- Increase transparency of private jet ownership and flying activity,
- Eliminate tax benefits for private jets, and
- Stop new private jet expansion and infrastructure projects.
The report notes that calling out SAF as a “false solution,” is not to dismiss that there are “real possibilities” for aviation decarbonisation.
“We know, for example, that electrification of small short-range aircraft is a real option that can be scaled up in the coming decade. And there may be real possibilities with green hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and other innovations,” the report reads.
Read the full greenwashing report here.
UAE Parkopedia has announced a partnership with EV charging solutions provider Regeny to provide Middle East drivers with EV charge point data in their vehicle head units to simplify the process of locating chargers.
According to the two parties, the partnership will initially see UAE charging data available in cars from one of the “premium global automakers,” providing drivers with access to half of the UAE’s EV chargers.
Later this year, Middle Eastern drivers will gain access to aggregated charging data in additional markets, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan.
Regeny shared that it offers access to more than 50 active charging sites and aggregates nearly 2,000 charging ports across the UAE, with more than 500 deployed within the last year.
Its OCPI roaming platform enables smart mobility and fleet owners to access the UAE’s aggregated charging network, with expansion into Saudi Arabia planned before the end of this year.
Parkopedia is also working with numerous CPOs to extend its charging POI data coverage across “increasingly important” markets, such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Chile.
This partnership with Regeny follows data from the latest Parkopedia Global Driver Survey, which found that 91 per cent of EV drivers find locating a public EV charge point stressful.
Jaap van den Hoek, Global Head of Partnerships at Parkopedia, commented: “We recognise the importance of taking the stress out of locating public chargers for EV drivers across the world.
“This is equally as important in emerging EV markets, such as the Middle East, which show strong signs of EV growth and we are delighted to be working with Regeny as its ambitious growth plans align with our mission of providing seamless connected car services to drivers around the globe.”
Meanwhile, Regeny Co-Founder and CEO Anish Racherla said: “Regeny is building a community of EV users and stakeholders making the shift to electric mobility seamless. Our collaboration with Parkopedia is the first in the region to enable charging information to be embedded in connected car ecosystems. This partnership will bring in an era of smart mobility for the UAE and Middle East.”
A new report from think-tank Carbon Tracker titled, Heavy Lifting Required: Truckmakers’ Electric Transition, assesses Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) manufacturers’ transition to electric vehicles, alignment to the Paris Agreement, and their position relative to the automotive energy transition.
The report analyses eight HDV manufacturers, which it said covers 50 per cent of global HDV production/sales, on the quality of their emissions targets and transition to electrification.
Carbon Tracker concludes that, ultimately, global HDV manufacturers are falling short on the EV challenge.
Zero-emission heavy duty vehicles currently far too low
The report noted despite representing 3 per cent of vehicles on the road, HDVs contribute 30 per cent of emissions from road transport.
To be aligned with the International Energy Agency‘s (IEA) Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE Scenario), it is estimated that cumulatively, more than 13 million zero-emission heavy duty vehicles need to be deployed globally between 2024 and 2035.
Last year, only 2 per cent of new HDVs produced globally were zero-emission.
Weak emissions targets from HDV manufacturers
The report notes that, despite the size of the challenge, weak emissions targets from HDV manufacturers suggest an unaligned strategy to pivot to zero-emission HDVs.
Ben Scott, report author and the head of automotive at Carbon Tracker, said: “The lack of short-term targets reduces the likelihood of long-term goals being met and increases the risk of a disorderly transition to electrification.”
Battery-electric HDVs represent “vast opportunity”
Further, it says that, for HDV manufacturers, the shift to battery-electric HDVs represents a “vast opportunity” for revenue growth through the replacement of the existing fleet with battery-electric alternatives.
Additionally, it outlines that to enable the transition to ZE trucks, HDV manufacturers and fleet operators should ‘electrify the immediate’, i.e. electrify short and medium-haul logistics now, which can be achieved using existing battery technology and EV charging infrastructure deployments.
It was also found that heavy duty vehicle manufacturing assets are not currently geared up to produce the amount of zero emission required to be climate-aligned.
Last year, most HDV manufacturers used 1 per cent of vehicle production capacity to produce ZEVs.Read the full report here.
This week, Ane Maersk, the first large vessel that can run on green methanol, made its first call at Jebel Ali Port, welcomed by DP World.
Serving the AE7 string, which connects Asia and Europe, the vessel arrived in the UAE for the first time on its rotation, beginning in Hamburg, Germany, and covering several ports in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Gulf countries.
The vessel will now sail to ports in China after completing cargo operations in Dubai.
The vessel is equipped with a “state-of-the-art dual-fuel engine” capable of running on green methanol, and the first of the 18 large vessels that will be added to Maersk’s fleet during 2024 and 2025, it was shared.
“We are proud to welcome the Ane Maersk to Jebel Ali, whose arrival highlights the green shift underway in our industry. It is a flagship for sustainability that mirrors our own carbon reduction ambitions at DP World,” said Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and Managing Director of DP World GCC.
Adding: “We are committed to decarbonising global trade and are taking action to support the transition, from electrifying our terminals to using smart technology. The journey to net zero requires the involvement of every stakeholder in the supply chain, and we are proud to be working alongside dedicated partners like Maersk.”
Christopher Cook, Managing Director, Maersk UAE, Oman and Qatar, called the move an “important milestone” for Maersk in its journey to decarbonise ocean transportation.
“Ane Maersk represents our ambitions towards sustainability and innovation. We are also fully aware that we cannot bring about the green transition all by ourselves. It requires collaboration from the entire ecosystem including our customers, our partners, the infrastructure, regulators and other stakeholders,” said Cook.
Lucid Group and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at advancing electric vehicle (EV) technology in Saudi Arabia, it has been announced.
The partnership will see the two collaborate on joint research using KACST services, facilities, and products for dedicated research into advanced battery technologies and materials and studies in aerodynamic, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence technologies.
Further, the two parties will test research into electric vehicles and evaluate their performance to ensure their adaptation to the climatic conditions in the Kingdom.
Commenting on the partnership, Faisal Sultan, Vice President and Managing Director of Middle East, Lucid Group, said: “Lucid’s goal is to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy by creating advanced technologies. This Memorandum of Understanding marks a key step towards achieving this vision, acting as a catalyst to advance and elevate the entire EV industry and inspire the adoption of sustainable transportation in support of the Kingdom’s vision for a more sustainable and diversified economy.”
Senior Vice President of KACST for Research and Development Sector, Dr Talal bin Ahmed Al-Sudairi, added: “Using our state-of-the-art facilities, the research conducted under this project will advance electric vehicles systems and aid the development of technologies to support autonomous driving, in line with national aspirations for research, development and innovation in the energy and industry sector.”
The joint research and development headquarters will be located at the national laboratories in KACST and will be launched during the third quarter of this year.
Emirates has announced that it has become an industrial partner of the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), based at the University of Cambridge.
It was shared that the partnership aims to foster collaboration, providing evidence for a number of the AIA’s climate impact tools; it will also support their data modelling work advancements and see the company actively engage in future projects dedicated to cutting global aviation emissions.
The new partnership marks Emirates’ first USD $200 million Sustainability Fund investment for research and development (R&D) projects focussed on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation, it was shared.
The AIA initiative is an international group of multi-disciplinary experts developing evidence-based systems, modelling capability, visualisations, and specialised tools to support policymakers, the aviation industry and the wider public with the insights necessary to map, understand and accelerate pathways towards sustainable aviation.
It is co-led by the University of Cambridge’s Whittle Laboratory and the Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).
Further, the modelling capability of the AIA is a collaboration between the Bennett Innovation Lab (a new innovation laboratory set up as part of the New Whittle Laboratory) and CISL, to look for ways to accelerate net zero aviation.
Boeing, Rolls-Royce, The Royal Air Force, IATA, 4Air, and Flexjet are also industrial partners.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline commented: “Emirates is proud to support the Aviation Impact Accelerator as the first project under our Sustainability Fund. As an industrial partner, we have a unique opportunity to play an active role in constructively sharing our knowledge and insights, broadening the AIA’s reach across geographies and supporting the development of tools that address a spectrum of new aviation technologies and their critical gaps if implemented in the future. The work being undertaken by the Aviation Impact Accelerator provides the potential blueprint for the changes and solutions underway to reduce the long-term climate impact of commercial aviation.”
Professor Rob Miller FREng, Director of the Whittle Laboratory, University of Cambridge and AIA lead, added: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Emirates, which will support us in our mission to accelerate the world towards net-zero aviation. Airlines will play a crucial role in the sector’s transition, and we are delighted that Emirates is demonstrating this leadership. We believe that the Sustainability Fund will be pivotal in unlocking actions in the sector.”
Honeywell has launched its new hydrocracking technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass, which it claims can produce 3-5 per cent more SAF, with a cost reduction of up to 20 per cent.
According to the company, this technology can also reduce by-product waste streams when compared to other commonly used hydroprocessing technologies.
The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) UnicrackingTM technology takes liquids and waxes from processed biomass – including leftovers from crops, wood waste or food scraps – to produce SAF that’s compliant with aviation industry standards.
“As demand for SAF continues to grow, the aviation industry is challenged by limited supplies of traditional SAF feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats and waste oils,” said Ken West, president and CEO of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions.
Adding: “When combined with the existing Fischer-Tropsch process, our new technology will expand the feedstock options available in the industry to sources that are more plentiful, ultimately helping improve our customers’ ability to produce SAF.”
The company shared that DG Fuels recently selected Honeywell’s FT Unicracking technology for its biofuels manufacturing facility in Louisiana.
The facility is the largest in the world for making SAF from the FT process and will produce 13,000 barrels of SAF each day once operations commence in 2028.
Michael Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels, said that using the Honeywell technology, the company will supply enough fuel for more than 30,000 transatlantic flights every year.