Covered influencing factors

Many factors can determine the level of the environmental impacts in freight transport. EcoTransIT, however, leaves nothing out of its analysis and takes all influencing factors into account:

• transport mode and vehicle type
• traction type
• transport network
• vehicle capacity utilisation
• energy prechain
• freight transport
• special features of international freight transport

According to these influencing factors, the user can adjust the calculation to his particular needs. All possible modifications are explained below.

Transport mode-dependent influences

The key factor influencing the environmental impact of freight transport is the choice of transport mode. Using EcoTransIT, it is possible to assess the various modes of transport available – lorry, rail, inland waterways, sea-going vessels and aircraft.

In addition, transport modes can be combined to suit individual requirements. Even within individual transport systems, there are considerable differences due to the vehicle technology deployed, the transport capacity and other factors.

In the case of a lorry, the key influencing factors are the vehicle size (and thus the max. permissible load), the capacity utilisation level, and the engine's technical standards for the reduction of exhaust emissions (Euro standards).

The traction type

With rail transport, EcoTransIT considers the type of traction as the main factor that influences the environmental impact. Whereas, in the case of electric traction, environmental impacts are produced in the power generation stage (i.e. mainly in the power plant), with diesel traction the largest percentage of emissions is produced during the actual transport of the goods, as is the case with the lorry. Another key factor influencing environmental impact levels (per transported unit of quantity) is the trailing load of a freight train. This value can be varied in EcoTransIT by selecting from different train lengths.

The transport network

Each mode of transport is restricted to one specific transport network. Nevertheless, the road network tends to be denser than the rail network or the network of inland waterways. As a result, shipments travelling by rail or water are in some cases forced to take a roundabout route, which increases the transport distances covered and thus the environmental impacts. Separate transport networks are integrated into EcoTransIT's routing system for the various transport modes, allowing the differences in transport distances to be automatically calculated.

The vehicle capacity

Every mode of transport has a maximum loading capacity, which is defined by the maximum weight or the maximum volume of the payload. Whether the limiting factor is weight or volume depends on the type of cargo being shipped. This is taken into account in EcoTransIT:

When transporting heavy goods like coal or steel, an excellent level of vehicle capacity utilisation can be achieved on the basis of weight. As a result, the specific environmental impacts per transported net tonne are in most cases lower than for goods like clothing or furniture, where, although the vehicles are full in terms of volume, the full utilisation capacity in terms of weight is not achieved. As it is often impossible to determine to what extent the capacity of the transport mode will be utilised by a specific commodity, calculations can also use average statistical values for the vehicle capacity utilisation.

The energy prechain

Energy consumption and emissions in freight transport do not only occur during the actual shipment, but also at a much earlier stage in the processes leading up to the supply of the tractive energy. The main energy sources used in freight transport processes are diesel fuel and electricity. To compare the environmental impacts of transport processes with different energy sources, the total energy chain has to be considered.

The energy chain of electricity production includes the exploration and extraction of the primary energy source (coal, oil, gas, nuclear etc.) and transport to the entrance of the power plant, as well as the conversion within the power plant and the energy distribution networks(transformer and cable losses). The energy chain of diesel production considers the exploration and extraction of crude oil, transport to the entrance of the refinery, the conversion within the refinery and the transport to the petrol station. As to emissions, you also have to distinguish where they are produced: in the case of electrically-powered rail transport vehicles, the emissions are produced entirely in the prechain. With regard to Diesel-powered rail transport vehicles, the main part of the emissions is produced during the transport itself.

Special features of international freight transport

When calculating an international freight movement, EcoTransIT includes country-specific features. In road transport, significant differences in energy consumption and emissions can occur depending on the topography of the country. The steeper the gradients encountered on the roads, the greater the fuel consumption will be. This is also noticeable in the case of rail transport. The method used for generating electric power also has a significant influence on the country-specific differences in rail transport. In Sweden for example, GreenCargo's entire power production is based on hydropower as a regenerative source of energy. As a result, electrically-powered rail transport services produce no emissions. In other countries by contrast, a large percentage of the electric power is generated with coal or other fossil fuels. EcoTransIT takes into account whatever power generation method is used in the specific country.