Overview
The JRC supports the formulation and implementation of EU policies on transport energy efficiency and CO2 emissions reduction by providing analytical methods, techniques and tools.
The JRC’s work focuses on road transport, which accounts for the largest share of the sector’s emissions.
What the JRC is doing
The JRC powers EU competitiveness, sustainability and trust in science-led decisions by creating and maintaining models and tools on energy consumption and emissions.
The JRC supports a wide range of EU certification and monitoring policies through scientific analysis, experimental testing, and modelling techniques.
Transport greenhouse gas emissions and energy policy model
The JRC supports the evaluation and assessment of policy in the field of transport greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption with a focus on road transport.
It develops and maintains the DIONE Model, which assesses the costs associated with CO2 emissions or energy consumption reduction of different road vehicle segments and powertrains.
Light-duty vehicle policy support
The JRC provides data, scientific expertise, and information systems to support policies for the certification, monitoring, and reduction of carbon emissions and energy consumption of light-duty vehicles (cars and vans).
The VECTO simulation tool
The JRC develops the VECTO simulation tool used for certifying carbon emissions, energy, and fuel consumption of heavy and medium duty vehicles in Europe (trucks, buses, and coaches).
The environmental impact and implications of the transport sector
The transport sector is among the largest consumers of energy, responsible for roughly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. It is dominated by road transport, with most emissions generated by cars, vans, and trucks, while aviation and shipping contribute smaller but rapidly growing shares.
The transport sector is a key challenge for climate policy: transport emissions have historically been hard to reduce, and have, at times, even increased.
Transport implications span beyond climate change: it also contributes to air pollution, noise pollution particularly in urban areas, and habitat fragmentation by dividing ecosystems and disrupting wildlife movement.
The sector is expanding, and it is expected to continue growing worldwide in the coming decades, driven by urbanisation, rising incomes, and increased access to cars, trains, and air travel.
Policy background
JRC’s work on road transport decarbonisation supports a multitude of policy initiatives and harmonisation processes at the EU and global level. In particular, it supports the following regulations:
- Regulation (EU) 2019/631, which sets CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles.
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 on CO2 emission standards for HDVs, which set increasingly strict emission standards for lorries, buses and coaches.
Related publications
Well-to-wheels scenarios for 2050 carbon-neutral road transport in the EU. 2024.
Comparative analysis of public and expert perceptions of electrified vehicles in the European Union. 2025.
Towards zero CO2 emissions: Insights from EU vehicle on-board data. 2025.
A real world assessment of European medium-duty vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. 2025.
