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Image of a road over a river and green landscapes as a sustainable mobility concept

All about sustainable mobility

The solution to the transportation of the future

Fuels made from organic waste, fuels made from renewable hydrogen and CO2, more efficient lubricants that increase the durability of equipment, batteries with greater autonomy, and ultra-fast charging points are just some of the projects that Repsol is developing to help reduce emissions generated by mobility.

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What is sustainable mobility?

Sustainable mobility is the set of measures aimed at making the movement and transportation of people and goods efficient and rational from an economic, social, and environmental point of view.

According to the Safe, Sustainable, and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030, approved by the Government in December 2021, sustainable mobility prioritizes everyday mobility, economic and social equity, energy efficiency, and the fight against climate change; in addition to minimizing the environmental impact of transportation and encouraging more respectful initiatives such as public transport, circular economy, climate resilience, and universal mobility.

New forms of sustainable transport (such as plug-in electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, or city buses using renewable fuels or autogas) are possibly the most visible measure of this model. However, transport accessibility or urban mobility plans that encourage collective transport, cycling, or walking are also an important part of sustainable mobility.

Transport is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, above industry and energy production and supply: it accounted for 28.51% of total emissions in 2021 alone, according to data from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The current environmental challenges, together with a growing demand for freight and passenger transport, and other factors such as the disparate demographic pressure, have brought into focus the need for a new sustainable mobility model that meets current needs without compromising the environment and resources for future generations.

In order to achieve this challenge, commitment to innovation will be of great help, which will allow the use of different technologies to achieve this future mobility model. These include, renewable fuels, such as those that we develop at Repsol, electrification, and green hydrogen.

What are the sustainable mobility goals?

Cutout of a green car on a table as a sustainable mobility concept

The Secure, Sustainable, and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030 lays out three main goals: decarbonization of transport, digitalization, necessary to increase efficiency in transport, and the search for solutions to the unequal demographic pressure in cities and rural areas, which poses new challenges in terms of urban mobility, universal access to transportation, and territorial cohesion.

It's also essential to achieve the Paris Agreement goal to limit global warming.

Main measures of the sustainable mobility plan

With sustainability understood not only in environmental, but also in economic and social terms, there are many measures that governments, companies, and citizens have started to adopt. With regards to the reduction of emissions, the development of renewable fuels is one of the most immediate and promising ones. The renovation of the vehicle fleet and its progression towards the use of electricity and hydrogen, improvement in the energy efficiency of transport, and new urban development models that reduce dependence on private vehicles are other examples of actions that are being carried out.

New mobility also involves making progress in the sustainability of logistics, for which, among other measures, the improvement of infrastructure efficiency, the digitalization of management systems, and the commitment to sustainable last-mile logistics are proposed.

Sustainable mobility examples

New transportation needs, coupled with advances in technology and the circular economy, have led to the emergence of examples of sustainable mobility in recent years.

  1. Renewable fuels
    One of the most promising fields is that of renewable fuels, such as biofuels produced from organic waste, which Repsol already distributes to 26 service stations throughout the peninsula.

  2. Carpooling and carsharing
    Other changes that are moving towards sustainable transport have to do with the way in which users use and relate to the vehicle, supported by digital elements such as platforms and applications. Examples include carpooling, which allows travelers to share rides in each other's private vehicles to save on costs and emissions. Meanwhile, carsharing allows electric vehicles to be rented by the hour or even by the minute, an interesting option for those who only use their vehicle occasionally but do not want to give it up.

  3. Electric vehicles
    Along with passenger cars, other forms of urban mobility have already made their way into our cities: the electric bicycle, both personal and for hire or rental, and the electric scooter, are two highly visible sustainable means of transport.

  4. Public transport
    In any case, we must not lose sight of the fact that public transport, which has made great progress in terms of the electrification of the vehicle fleet and the use of alternative fuels, is one of the most important assets in terms of sustainable mobility, as well as the new urban models that are committed to facilitating walking, such as the 15-minute city.

Repsol's sustainable mobility projects

To achieve these objectives and make progress on these measures, R&D will be a key element. Repsol is already working on them through its Technology Lab, which researches technological solutions and innovations to bring sustainable mobility closer to the user, such as the creation of renewable fuels, improving the efficiency of electric vehicle batteries, or fuels and lubricants that are more efficient and reduce consumption.

One of Repsol's sustainable mobility projects is the production of fuels using only water and carbon dioxide (CO2) as raw materials. Based on the separation of oxygen and hydrogen particles from water by means of an electrolysis process that uses renewable energies, and Repsol's CO2 capture technology, it is possible to generate fuels with zero net emissions that also help to make use of waste. In addition, at Repsol we also produce advanced biofuels from organic waste such as used cooking oil.

Another of Repsol's research fields is the creation of new fuels that reduce consumption and CO2 emissions, such as the high-end fuel Repsol Efitec 100 Neotech or AutoGas, and lubricants that improve vehicle efficiency. In addition, Repsol has the largest electric vehicle recharging network, with nearly 800 points, including more than 150 in the Community of Madrid, another 150 in the Basque Country, a hundred in Catalonia, and more than 80 in the Community of Valencia.

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