After presenting the different Carbon Calculation standards and approaches in our last post, we will now see how to generate specific Carbon Reports with the PTV xRoute Server. This topic is divided into two parts. In this post the carbon reporting is shown for the comprehensive approach. Next Wednesday in our next post (#3b), we show the calculation with factor-based approaches.

Just as reminder, comprehensive emission calculation approaches include both, consumption default values and emission factors. PTV xRoute Server supports two comprehensive approaches: HBEFA and COPERT Australia.

What you need to have

• PTV xRoute Server
• PTV Map including the area where emissions are calculated
• PTV xServer License for emission calculation (can be obtained via sales representatives)
• Additional data content (can be obtained via sales representatives)
• Height data (should be included in map)

What you need to do

You need to send a PTV xRoute request for either the method calculateExtendedRoute or calculateAdvancedTour. The route must at least contain two waypoints and you have to specify the data standard type you want to use e.g. HBEFA_3_2. As a result you receive the values for the available greenhouse gases supported by the standard.

Sample Request

In the PTV xRoute request you specify at least two waypoints and your vehicle routing profile. In this sample request the method calculateExtendedRoute is used to illustrate the workflow.

Set the hbefaType attribute in the ResultListOptions element according to the emission standard you want to use. Don’t be confused about the naming. Here, you can also choose COPERT although it is called ‘HBEFAType’. All comprehensive approaches will be set via this HBEFAType even if they are not HBEFA. Just use the following HBEFAType for COPERT Australia: COPERT_AUS_1_2. If you want to use HBEFA Version 3.2, as done in this sample, set the HBEFAType to HBEFA_3_2.

...
  "details": {
    "hbefaType": {
      "$type": "HBEFAType",
      "version": "HBEFA_3_2"
    },
...

Then, set the granularity of the emission information returned in the response with the emissions element in the ResultListOptions . Possible levels are:

• BASIC, if you only need the total emissions of the route
• STATIONS, if you want to obtain the emission per part of the route
• SEGMENTS, if you additionally want to obtain the emissions per segment.

...
    "emissions": {
      "$type": "EmissionType",
      "emissionLevel": "STATIONS"
    }
  }
}

Sample Response

Depending on the configuration of the emissionType defined in in the request, the total emissions can be found in the emissions element at the route, stations, or segments. As emissionType ‘stations’ was chosen in the sample request, the result can be found in the ‘stations’ part of the response. As shown in the following code snippet on the first station, which is the starting point, there was no emission caused. At the second station, which is the destination, there are the total emission values available like for example a carbon monoxide value of 2.11.

"stations": [
 {
 "$type": "WayPoint",
...
 }
 },
 "matchCoord": {
...
 }
 },
 "wayPointType": "START",
 "countryCode": "",
 "emissions": {
 "$type": "EmissionsHBEFA32",
 "hydrocarbons": 0,
 "methane": 0,
 "hydrocarbonsExMethane": 0,
 "carbonMonoxide": 0,
 "carbonDioxide": 0,
 "sulphurDioxide": 0,
 "nitrogenOxides": 0,
 "nitrousOxide": 0,
 "ammonia": 0,
 "benzene": 0,
 "toluene": 0,
 "xylene": 0,
 "lead": 0,
 "particles": 0,
 "fuel": 0,
 "nitrogenDioxide": 0,
 "fossilCarbonDioxide": 0,
 "particleNumber": 0
 },
 "cenEmissions": {}
 },
 {
 "$type": "WayPoint",
...
 }
 },
 "matchCoord": {
...
 }
 },
 "wayPointType": "DEST",
 "countryCode": "",
 "emissions": {
 "$type": "EmissionsHBEFA32",
 "hydrocarbons": 0.0603818366050992,
 "methane": 0.005072089236725982,
 "hydrocarbonsExMethane": 0.05530971621159914,
 "carbonMonoxide": 2.1107392738620776,
 "carbonDioxide": 0.8928940383413909,
 "sulphurDioxide": 0.004286388382447229,
 "nitrogenOxides": 0.2833865763444304,
 "nitrousOxide": 0.0025272859038527355,
 "ammonia": 0.07925412943867832,
 "benzene": 0.00780739623326566,
 "toluene": 0,
 "xylene": 0,
 "lead": 0,
 "particles": 0.006720581536712771,
 "fuel": 0.2848059641170425,
 "nitrogenDioxide": 0.014169325941225244,
 "fossilCarbonDioxide": 0.8398899786980175,
 "particleNumber": 2941965707152.8
 },
...

In our PTV xServer Codesample Browser you can find some examples for emission calculation according to Comprehensive Approaches. There, the result is visualized like this:

Conclusion

• PTV xRoute Server allows calculating emissions for the methods calculateExtendedRoute or calculateAdvancedTour
• For comprehensive approaches additional data and license keys are required
• In the request you specify route, vehicle type and emission standard type
• As a response you receive the values for the available greenhouse gases supported by the standard. HBEFA offers a wide range of gases.

An use case documentation can be found here. Please remember that COPERT Australia is only available with the new PTV xServer 1.20.1 release, which will be available next week. Then, the use case description will be updated containing the COPERT Australia information and other improvements. Just take another look on the use case docu next week.

After getting to know how comprehensive approaches can be used with PTV xRoute, you will learn about the usage of factor-based standards in our next ‘Emission Wednesday’ post.

In our last post we emphasized the importance of carbon reduction. Now, we dive into carbon calculation and go further into details of emission data standards and approaches. The described possibilities of emission calculation are available with PTV xServer.

Emission calculation

For calculating emissions two main influencing factors are important:

• Vehicle-specific factors as for example vehicle type, fuel type, fuel consumption
• Route- specific factors like heights, distance, speed, network level etc.

These factors can be different from area to area; country to country or continent to continent. Therefore, area-specific data standards have been developed by various institutes and governments to provide the most suitable factor set.

Emission data standards

Emission data standards include a set of influencing factors and parameters: reference data, default values for consumption, emission factors, vehicle types etc. National characteristics and standards play an important role. Different road and vehicle types as well as regional landscape differences lead to continental/country specific emission factors and consumption values. The data standards vary a lot, support different vehicle types, contain more or less factors and offer different result sets. If you want to meet national requirements you have to chose a suitable data standard. PTV xServer provides the following data sets:

Europe:

• HBEFA 3.2 (Europe): The Handbook of Emission Factors for Road Transport (HBEFA) was originally developed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agencies of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the meantime, further countries (Sweden, Norway, France) as well as the JRC (European Research Center of the European Commission) are supporting HBEFA.
• CEN 2011/2012 (Europe): The CEN standard EN 16258 is a European standard specifying general principles, definition, calculation methods and data recommendations, with the objective to promote standardized, accurate, credible and verifiable declarations, regarding energy consumption and emissions related to any transport service.
• CO2 Decree France 2011 (France):  Since 2013, all commercial transports (trucks, taxis, ships, trains, etc.) starting or ending in France have to report their CO₂ emissions. In other words: a company carrying out a transport from or to France has to report their emissions.
• UK DEFRA 2014 (UK): Government conversion factors for greenhouse gas reporting. These factors are suitable for use by UK based organisations of all sizes, and for international organisations reporting on UK operations.

Australia:

• Australia NGA 2011: Emission calculation for transports in Australia have to be in accordance with the National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) factors published by the Australian government.
• COPERT Australia 1.2: COPERT Australia is designed to be used for road transport emission inventories across Australia. It is the result of a joint effort of EMISIA and the Queensland Department of Science.

Emission calculation approaches

As described above, vehicle- and route-specifics are needed for emission calculation. One important vehicle factor is the fuel consumption. It is treated different in different data standards. This is shown later. All other specifics are reflected in factors provided by the data standard.

In simple terms, emissions are calculated by multiplying fuel consumption values with emission factors. Depending on the chosen emission data standard for determining the emissions, consumption and factors are both included in the data or are provided separately. Two basic approaches are distinguished according to this difference: Comprehensive Approach and Factor-based Approach

The Comprehensive Approach includes both, consumption default values and emission factors. Therefore, no own average fuel consumption values have to be determined for calculation. Additional, it also takes height data into account. HBEFA and COPERT Australia are standards of the comprehensive approach.

The Factor-based Approach provides emission factors. Consumption values are chosen by the user and can be based on own average fuel consumption or different recommended consumption default values provided for example in the PTV xServer manual. Australia NGA 2011, CEN 2011/2012, CO2 Decree France 2011 and UK DEFRA 2014 are standards of the factor-based approach.

Conclusion

• There are different emission data standards available providing the data basis for calculating emissions for specific areas and countries. Depending on your activities, your fleet and legal requirements you have to choose a suitable data standard.
• PTV xServer supports various data standards for Europe and Australia.
• The data standards can be factor-based or comprehensive. In the case of factor-based approaches you have to determine your own consumption values (or use default values proposed by different institutes) whereas comprehensive approaches already include default consumption values.
• PTV xServer allow the calculation of both approaches.

Got an overview of the calculation approaches and want to get started calculating? Don’t miss our third emissions post next Wednesday about generating reports.Get to know the possibilities of Carbon Reporting with PTV xServer.

The demand for green logistics and emission reporting for transports is constantly growing among the transportation chain. In the first part of our emission blog series, we outline the need and benefits as well as the important factors of carbon reduction.

Need and benefits of carbon reduction

The progression of climate change is particularly relevant for the logistics industry: The changing conditions like new environmental standards mean that market risks can change (e.g. introducing low-emission zones, new innovation in the transportation industry).

Many companies face the need of reducing carbon because of legal requirements, cost reductions, image reasons, stakeholder expectations or the like. In order to reduce emissions, it is necessary to calculate consumption. This allows for example to draw comparisons and to evaluate effects of reduction activities. In several countries the determination of a company’s carbon footprint is prescribed by government, e.g. it is an obligation for all listed companies in the UK to report their emissions. Even if it is not obliged to report it, it is often expected by customers and other stakeholders. The emission information flow becomes more and more important along the transportation chain.

As a company involved in transportation, the reporting of emissions provides significant benefits. Apart from the fulfillment of government obligations and customer expectations, it leads to more transparency. Aiming at reducing carbon consumption, the current consumption has to be determined. Through this, internal processes are viewed and analyzed. Improvement potentials and optimizations can be recognized, accessed and evaluated. Also costs get more transparent and can be reduced by reducing carbon consumption. Understanding the company’s activities and their according fuel consumption allows active management of activities and increase of efficiency.

Reduction of carbon

Carbon redcution needs to be measured. This is only possible, if current consumption values are available and the development can be viewed over time. A continuous process of checking and monitoring of progress is needed.

The FTA defines the following main key factors for reducing carbon:

• Use the right vehicle for right operations
• Manage fuel use
• Reduce vehicle miles and resources

All of the relevant emissions of CO2, air pollutants, and other greenhouse gases
are calculated depending on the vehicle configuration, empty weight and load weight,
together with the road and traffic situation (uphill and downhill terrain, road type, etc.). Therefore, it should be tracked by the company’s transport management software solution. See how Hermes transport logistics manages emissions with the PTV xServer:

Conclusion

The demand for green logistics and emissions reporting for transports is constantly growing among the transportation chain.It is a proof of better quality in business services as companies can prove that they are dealing with their own environmental aspects. The emission calculation should be included in the company’s transport management software solution, where its vehicles and routes are managed, as these are the key factors for reducing carbon.

The resulting whitepaper of the cooperation of Dr. Jacques Leonardi and the PTV Group can be downloaded here: How do you cut costs by cutting carbon?

Got an idea of the benefits of emission reducing and reporting and want to know more about how emissions can be calculated for your fleet? Don’t miss the second post of our emission blog series next Wednesday about Carbon Calculation.