Research conducted at USP’s School of Engineering (Poli) offers a new perspective on the decarbonization of transportation. Brazil can be more efficient than Europe in road freight transport. Conducted by mechanical engineer Eduardo Eisenbach de Oliveira Fortes, the study indicates that heavy vehicles in Brazil show superior environmental performance when evaluated by carbon dioxide emissions per ton-kilometer transported.
The study, presented as Fortes’s graduation project, pioneered the use of the Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculation Tool (Vecto) in the country, a mandatory standard in the European Union for certifying truck consumption and emissions. He adapted the simulation software to Brazilian conditions: long-distance routes, challenging topography, and load compositions of up to 74 tons, much higher than the 40 tons permitted in Europe.
“The freight transport industry has significant carbon dioxide emission levels. In Brazil, where more than 60% of cargo is transported by road, precise metrics are necessary. We compared the operation of standard 6×4 trucks on European routes with the Campo Grande (MS) – Porto de Paranaguá (PR) logistics corridor, a crucial route for grain transportation in Brazil”, Fortes said.
Load as a competitive and environmental advantage
The simulation revealed that although a standard Brazilian truck consumes more fuel overall due to being heavier, it is 35% more efficient when dividing this consumption by the amount of goods delivered. While the European standard model (Euro VI) emits 29.0 g of carbon dioxide per ton-kilometer, the Brazilian model reaches 18.8 g per ton-kilometer.
The study also indicated that the “load” factor is more decisive for sustainability than the topography itself. “Despite the sometimes outdated vehicle technologies due to the aging fleet, we can see that our transport scale capacity compensates environmentally per unit of cargo transported compared to the European standard vehicle studied,” Fortes explained
Methodological rigor: use of real data and advanced simulation
To ensure technical rigor and address the challenge of estimating specific parameters, Fortes used real data from the European Union’s Vecto repositories and Brazilian legislation to characterize standard vehicles in both regions. To characterize the extensive route in Brazil, he combined real data with artificial intelligence (AI) integrated with Google Maps to map speed limits across the 1,091 km of the studied route. The data were processed using Python algorithms, totaling more than 100,000 analysis points.
“In Brazil, where road transport is the primary method of cargo distribution, evaluating carbon dioxide emissions from trucks is strategic”, Marcelo Augusto Leal Alves said. Alves, a professor at USP’s School of Engineering (Poli) and the project’s advisor, added: “The absence of a tool like Vecto, which can simulate different vehicle configurations and usage scenarios, makes studies like Fortes’s particularly relevant. By applying this methodology to real routes and Brazilian operational conditions, his work yields unprecedented results and contributes to the debate on more accurate ways to measure the environmental impact of heavy transport in Brazil”.
The study was co-advised by Francisco Emílio Baccaro Nigro, also a professor at USP, and will be available in the virtual collection.
Social impact and climate goals
- Paris Agreement and greenhouse gas reduction targets – Brazil has made international commitments to reduce emissions under the Paris Agreement. In the road transport industry, trucks contribute a significant portion of total carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, with an estimated share of approximately 42% of emissions in this segment in 2023 (Source: Climate Observatory).
- Aging fleet and average age of trucks – Industry studies indicate that the truck fleet in Brazil is relatively old, with an average age close to 12 years. This directly impacts energy efficiency, leading to higher emissions per vehicle and the need for technological renewal (Source: CNT Transport Yearbook).
Written with information provided by the Automotive Engineering Center at USP’s School of Engineering (Poli)
More information: emails eduardofortes@usp.br, with Eduardo Fortes, and malalves@usp.br, with professor Marcelo Alves
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
