Sustainable road transport

Sustainable road transport is crucial for Sweden to reach the climate target of net zero emissions by 2045 while ensuring an accessible, robust and competitive transport system. By driving the transition to resource-efficient, safe and fair transport solutions, Vinnova contributes to innovation that reduces emissions and strengthens Swedish competitiveness.

This web page has been machine translated. If there are any uncertainties, please refer to the Swedish text.

What is sustainable road transport?

Sustainable road transport is about enabling people and goods to move in a way that reduces climate and environmental impact, uses resources efficiently and creates good accessibility throughout the country. It includes both how we plan infrastructure and how vehicles, services, business models and digital systems are developed.

Sweden's transport system faces a double challenge: capacity and accessibility need to increase – while emissions must rapidly decrease to reach the goal of no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. This requires a holistic perspective where technology, policy instruments, behaviors and business logic are developed together.

The transport sector accounts for a large part of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions. Restructuring the vehicle fleet, logistics flows and transport infrastructure is therefore central to Sweden's climate goal of zero net emissions by 2045 and negative emissions thereafter.

What can we achieve?

Through innovation and research in sustainable road transport, we can:

reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
use energy, land and materials more efficiently.
make the transport system more robust against climate change and other disruptions.
create safer and more traffic-safe environments and improve accessibility for both people and businesses throughout the country.

Sweden is well positioned to be at the forefront of sustainable road transport. Through investments in research, test environments and new services, Swedish companies can develop solutions that are in demand globally, from climate-neutral vehicles and circular value chains to digital mobility services and autonomous transport systems.

Within the collaborative program FFI – Vehicle Strategic research and Innovation, the state and the automotive industry together invest approximately one billion kronor per year in the transition of road transport to a sustainable society. The program's mission is to drive road transport research and innovations for a sustainable society and its vision is that Sweden will lead the global transition to sustainable road transport.

Our investments

Vinnova has several active initiatives to promote sustainable road transport, of which the FFI collaboration program is the largest.

Automotive strategic research and innovation

FFI is a collaborative program between the government and the automotive industry that finances research and innovation in road transport, with a focus on climate, environment and safety.

The program consists of five sub-programs that together address key issues for sustainable road transport:

Accelerate – developing solutions that bring innovation to vehicles and transportation systems faster.
Circularity– reduces climate and environmental impact from a life cycle perspective and strengthens sustainability throughout the entire vehicle value chain.
Transport and mobility services – supports the development of innovative services and transport solutions that streamline vehicle use and all or parts of the transport system.
Traffic-safe automation – develops safe autonomous systems and functions that enhance both safety and efficiency.
Zero Emissions – focuses on solutions that enable future emission-free vehicles and energy systems. FFI Vägtransportinnovationer+1
Each sub-program opens recurring calls for proposals during spring and autumn, providing continuous opportunities for actors to apply funding for project that contribute to a sustainable road transport system.

Read about the program on FFI's website