OREANDA-NEWS. Politicians, business leaders, stakeholders, academia and media are increasingly convinced of the need for smart partnerships to realise a future with sustainable transport.

That was the main message to come from Scania’s recent ‘Sustainable Transport Day’, a wide-ranging look at the future of transport that was held at the company’s head office in Södertälje, Sweden. The event included a panel discussion of different approaches to fossil-free transport solutions, as well as a demonstration of Scania’s autonomous transport solutions, including two autonomous trucks operating in an open mine environment and an autonomous bus transporting passengers on Scania’s test track.

Finding sustainable and economical transport solutions

Among the 100 participants joining Scania CEO Henrik Henriksson on the day were Sweden’s Energy Minister Ibrahim Baylan, Ericsson’s Head of Research Sara Mazur and the Swedish Energy Authority’s General Director Erik Brandsma. All went away very impressed with what they had seen and heard.

The Sustainable Transport Day is just the latest step in Scania’s long-term commitment to finding transport solutions that are both sustainable and financially supportable. Scania’s approach to solving this puzzle is based on three pillars: energy efficiency, alternative fuels and electrification and smart transport.

Energy efficiency is about reducing fuel consumption, performing driver training as well as optimising vehicles and services. The result is increased profitability for transport companies. In short, profitability and sustainability go hand in hand.

Scania’s leading role in the shift to fossil-free transport

Alternative fuels and electrification need to play a bigger role in the shift towards fossil-free transport. Technologies for alternative fuels, such as bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas, have been available for over 20 years. This month (June), Scania will underscore its leading role when the world’s first electrified highway is inaugurated in Sweden.