Transportation Costs - Decreasing Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Gas Emissions in Transportation - page 244

300

price of maintenance
price of fuel
purchase price

250

200

150

100

50

0

1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

year

Fig. 16.5 Predictions of road mobility prices

16.4.1 Improvements in Low-Cost Car Models

Small, cheap, and fuel-efficient vehicles are advancing fast. Low-cost models have
become a new market segment. The upper financial limit of purchase depends on
personal incomes in each region [ 10 ].
Retrofitting fossil fuel engines with natural gas combustion adds on average
€280-300, i.e., US $300-329 to the list price of a car with a spark ignition engine
and adds €680-900, i.e. US $972-1,287 to the list price of a car with a diesel
engine. Higher purchase prices usually amortize after 2-4 years. The surcharge
depends on the price of fossil and gas fuel [ 11 ].

16.4.2 Safety and Health

Vehicles influence health by noise, exhaust gas and particle emissions, and acci-
dents. However, the risk of traffic accidents is usually lower than the risk of an
accident in the home.
In highly developed countries, traffic is increasing while fatal accidents are
decreasing. In developing countries, most accidents are caused by poor planning,
inadequate design, old infrastructure, and lack of driver training. Efficient emer-
gency services are needed to reduce the severity of accidents [ 12 ].
WHO estimates that approximately 1.3 million people are killed and more than
50 million people are injured in accidents each year. Transportation safety is very
problematic in some developing countries with more than seven fatalities per 1,00
thousand million km, i.e., 4.35 fatalities per thousand million mi. Countries which