Transportation carbon reduction technologies: A review of fundamentals, application, and performance

Abstract

Transportation is one of the main sources of carbon emissions that cause climate change. The reduction of traffic carbon emissions is urgently needed. With advancements in technology, significant progress has been made in reducing traffic carbon emissions. Despite numerous studies of technology's impact on traffic carbon reduction, significant challenges remain in quantitative evaluation of mitigation effects. This study conducts a systematic literature review from the perspective of carbon emission reduction in transportation and summarized the primary applications, fundamental concepts, technological maturity, and effectiveness in carbon emission reduction of four types of technologies: artificial intelligence technology, transportation energy integration, vehicle technology, and other technologies. The results indicated that the application of the reviewed technologies is expected to make significant contributions to carbon emission reduction in transportation in the near future. Additionally, this review selected 177 papers published between 2013 and 2023 and conducted general analyses such as publication time, citation frequency, and the region and countries of the study. This review provides valuable information for both public and private sectors in the field of carbon emission reduction in transportation.