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There could be over two billion vehicles on the road by 2050, more than double the number today. Nearly all the growth is expected to come in mega-cities in today’s developing world, where air quality is often already poor.
More transport and better air quality can be combined. Investment in cleaner fuels and engines, together with tougher government regulations, have successfully reduced local air pollution from vehicle transport in the developed world. In the EU, for example, VOCs and NOx emissions from road transport have fallen by more than half over the last 10 years even as vehicle use has grown.
Spreading the use of lead-free and lower sulphur fuels is the first step. They make it possible to introduce modern engines with catalytic converters and particulate traps. These engines reduce emissions of most local pollutants by over 90%. We no longer produce leaded fuels at any of our refineries and we were one of the first companies to produce “zero” sulphur diesel on a commercial scale.
We are also one of the leading suppliers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), also known as Autogas. LPG offers an option for lowering other local emissions, particularly in developing countries where modern vehicles and low-sulphur fuels are not yet widely available.
Once modern engines and fuels are widely used, further improvements will come from continuing to fine tune engine and fuel technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. This requires more co-ordination between fuel producers and vehicle makers. We are working closely with companies like Audi, Ducati and Ferrari, so that the new engine and fuel technologies needed to reduce emissions further can be developed in parallel. Through such partnerships we intend to become the leading provider of the next generation of cleaner fuels.
Longer-term, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles could provide dramatic reductions in air pollution from transport. Their only local emission is pure water. Shell Hydrogen is also working in partnership with car makers to try to make these vehicles a commercially viable option.
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 Clean, highly efficient engines today are inseparably linked to high-quality fuels. A further reduction of emissions and fuel consumption in the future will require both innovative engine technology and advanced fuels.
Volkswagen and Shell are working closely together on such innovative fuels as second-generation biofuels and synthetic fuels. Renowned awards like the ‘Professor Ferdinand Porsche Prize 2005’ and the first overall victory of a diesel-powered car in the long history of the Le Mans race, which we were able to achieve in 2006 with the Audi R10 using Shell GTL fuel, demonstrate the success of the co-operation. We will continue to pursue rigorously this course and to offer our customers affordable, sustainable mobility in the future as well. Volkswagen AG has found in Shell a competent, innovative partner for this effort.  Professor Dr Martin Winterkorn Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG |