1. Indicator

(a)     Name: Number of road vehicles

(b)     Brief Definition: The number of registered road vehicles.

(c)          Unit of Measurement: Number and number/1000 inhabitants.

(d)         Placement in the CSD Indicator Set:  The indicator is part of the set of indicators of consumption and production patterns.  It is not included in the general CSD indicator set.  

2. Policy Relevance

(a)          Purpose: This indicator measures access to and dependence on road motor vehicles.  

(b)     Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development: Modern societies are dependent on an effective transport system for the distribution of goods and for personal mobility. Passenger cars and road goods vehicles provide the greatest flexibility, especially for local trips and for longer trips in the absence of adequate alternatives. However, road vehicles also produce pollution, noise and waste, consume large quantities of energy, and are responsible for accidents and impacts on human health. Motorization also requires the construction of roads, which cause disruption of human settlements and fragmentation of the countryside, with increasing pressures on ecosystems. Sustainability requires a balance between the use of road vehicles and other modes of transport, and between public and private transport.  

Broadly speaking, on a global level, there are three kinds of countries:

1)      "virgin" markets, with low motorization and low growth rates of the road vehicle stock,

2)      "booming" markets, with medium motorization and high growth rates,

3)      "developed" markets, with high motorization and low growth rates.

Motorization is a concept that can be applied to these three distinct types of market.

1) In virgin markets, low levels of personal disposable income result in low levels of road vehicle ownership. Higher levels of disposable income are associated with higher levels of motorization, in particular of passenger cars. The number of goods vehicles does not increase at the same rate, as there is a trend towards vehicles with higher loading capacity. The availability of buses and coaches can reduce the need for car ownership.  

2) There are two opposing trends in developed car markets, and to a lesser extent in booming markets. On the one hand, most cars are equipped with catalytic converters, and engines are more efficient, contributing to reduced pollutant emissions and lower energy consumption. On the other hand, cars have become faster, heavier, and more comfortable over time (e.g. with air-conditioning). This trend tends to offset technical progress in emission reduction and energy efficiency.  

3) Developed markets export used vehicles to virgin and booming markets. There is thus a transfer of older, less fuel-efficient, more polluting, and less safe vehicles to less-developed markets. In spite of the short-term social and economic benefits, this transfer can be detrimental to health and safety in developing countries.  

(c)     International Conventions and Agreements: None  

(d)         International Targets / Recommended Standards: No international targets have been established  

(e)     Linkages to Other Indicators: This indicator is linked particularly to GDP per capita and per capita consumption of fossil fuel by motor vehicle transport. Other related indicators are to percent of population in urban areas, urban transit and automobile use, fuel efficiency of (new) automobiles, passenger miles or kilometers, fossil fuel use by automobiles, infrastructure expenditure and ambient concentrations of pollutants in urban areas.  Various other indicators of land use and settlement patterns are also related.  

3. Methodological Description

(a)        Underlying Definitions and Concepts: The aim of this indicator is to quantify the total number of road motor vehicles and the number per 1000 population. 

The indicator should be broken down into the following vehicle types: passenger cars, motorcycles and mopeds, buses and coaches, and goods road motor vehicles.  

In order to capture specific factors related to sustainability issues in the different types of market, it should further be broken down into fuel type (petrol, diesel, alternative fuels) and categories reflecting fuel-efficiency (specific fuel consumption, engine capacity or loading capacity). It would also be desirable to know the numbers of passenger cars fitted with catalytic converters and to have a breakdown of passenger cars by unladen vehicle weight. The numbers of cars fitted with air-conditioning is also relevant, due to the much higher emissions of nitrogen oxides due to higher engine temperature. The age structure of the vehicle stock is also important.  

The following definitions are provided by the Eurostat/ECMT/UN-ECE Glossary for Transport Statistics. These definitions have been agreed by the 55 European and North American member countries of UN-ECE.  

Stock of road vehicles: The number of road vehicles registered at a given date in a country and licensed to use roads open to public traffic. This includes road vehicles exempted from annual taxes or licence fees; it also includes imported second-hand vehicles and other road vehicles according to national practices. The statistics should exclude military vehicles.

Moped: Two- or three-wheeled road vehicle which is fitted with an engine having a cylinder capacity of less than 50cc (3.05 cu.in) and a maximum authorized design speed in accordance with national regulations.

Motorcycle: Two-wheeled road motor vehicle with or without side-car, including motor scooter or three-wheeled road motor vehicle not exceeding 400 kg (900 lb) unladen weight. All such vehicles with a cylinder capacity of 50 cc or over are included, as are those under 50 cc which do not meet the definition of moped.

Passenger car: Road motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, intended for the carriage of passengers and designed to seat no more than nine persons (including the driver). The term "passenger car" therefore covers microcars (needing no permit to be driven), taxis and hired passenger cars, provided that they have fewer than ten seats. This category may also include pick-ups.

Motor-coach or bus: Passenger road motor vehicle designed to seat more than nine persons (including the driver). Statistics also include mini-buses designed to seat more than 9 persons (including the driver).

Goods road motor vehicle: Any single road motor vehicle designed to carry goods (lorry), or any coupled combination of road vehicles designed to carry goods, (i.e. lorry with trailer(s), or road tractor with semi-trailer and with or without trailer).

Load capacity: Maximum weight of goods declared permissible by the competent authority of the country of registration.

Age of road vehicle: Length of time after the first registration of the road vehicle, irrespective of the registering country.

Motor gasoline (petrol): Light hydrocarbon oil for use in internal combustion engines, excluding those for aircraft. Motor gasoline is distilled between 35oC and 215oC and treated by reforming, catalytic cracking or blending with an aromatic fraction to reach a sufficiently high octane number (80 RON).

Calorific value: 44.8 TJ/1000 t.

Gas/diesel oil (distillate fuel oil): Oil obtained from the lowest fraction from atmospheric distillation of crude oil. Gas/diesel oil includes heavy gas oils obtained by vacuum re-distillation of the residual from atmospheric distillation. Gas/diesel oil distils between 200oC and 380oC, with less than 65 per cent in volume at 250oC, including losses, and 80 per cent or more at 350oC. The flashpoint is always above 50oC and the density is higher than 0.81. Heavy oils obtained by blending are grouped together with gas oils, provided that their kinematic viscosity does not exceed 25 cST at 400C.

Calorific value: 43.3 TJ/1000 t.

Liquefied petroleum gases (LPG): Light hydrocarbons of the paraffin series which are derived solely from the distillation of crude oil. The LPG comprise propane and butane or a mixture of these two hydrocarbons. They can be liquefied under low pressure (5‑10 atmospheres). In the liquid state and at a temperature of 38oC they have a relative vapour pressure less than or equal to 24.5 bars.  Their specific gravity ranges from 0.50 to 0.58.

Natural gas liquids (NGL): Liquid or liquefied hydrocarbons produced in the manufacture, purification and stabilization of natural gas. Their characteristics vary, ranging from those of ethane, butane and propane to heavy oils. NGLs are either distilled with crude oil in refineries, blended with refined petroleum products or used directly, depending on their characteristics.

Electric power: Energy produced by hydro‑electric, geothermal, nuclear and conventional thermal power stations, excluding energy produced by pumping stations, measured by the calorific value of electricity (3.6 TJ/GWh). A pumping station is a power station with a reservoir which is filled by the use of pumps.

The following definitions have also been proposed by Eurostat:

Cylinder capacity: The cylinder capacity of the engine as certified by the competent authority of the country of registration.

Unladen vehicle weight: The unladen weight of the vehicle as certified by the competent authority of the country of registration.

Motor energy: The principal type of motor energy used by the vehicle as certified by the competent authority of the country of registration. For hybrid or dual-fuelled vehicles adapted for using more than one type of motor energy (e.g. LPG and petrol, or electricity and diesel), the principal type of motor energy should be, where possible, an alternative fuel.

Alternative fuel: A type of motor energy which provides substantial environmental benefits over conventional fuels (petrol or diesel). Alternative fuels include electricity, LPG, natural gas (NGL or CNG), alcohols, mixtures of 85% by volume or more of alcohols with other fuels, hydrogen, biofuels (such as biodiesel), etc. (This list is not exhaustive.) Alternative fuels do not include unleaded petrol, reformulated petrol or city (low-sulphur) diesel.  

(b)               Measurement Methods: Most countries have some form of vehicle register from which the relevant data may be extracted. However, these registers vary considerably in terms of the responsible authorities, their structure, content and format, and the ease with which they can be consulted by the national statistical institutes. In particular, there may be legal obstacles to accessing the register due to data-protection issues.  

(c)        Limitation of the Indicator: The number of road vehicles and motorization are not sufficient for reflecting sustainability. Account also needs to be taken of the numbers by categories.  This requires the collection of additional data.  

(d)        Status of the Methodology:  

(e)        Alternative Definitions / Indicators:

No alternative definitions are proposed at present  

4. Assessment of Data

(a)          Data Needed to Compile the Indicator:   

Total number of road vehicles broken down by vehicle type or other criteria.  

(b)     National and International Data Availability: Data on total numbers of road motor vehicles broken down by vehicle type are available from national and international sources. Apart from national statistical offices and international organizations (ECMT, Eurostat, OECD, UNECE), some automobile industry organizations (e.g. International Road Federation) collect and publish these statistics.  

The breakdown by fuel type, engine capacity, loading capacity, numbers of passenger cars equipped with catalytic converters, unladen vehicle weight, numbers of cars with air-conditioning, and age structure are more difficult and will only be available from a limited number of countries.  

(c)     Data References:   

Eurostat: Transport Annual Statistics

ECMT:   Statistical Trends in Transport

UNECE: Annual Bulletin of Transport Statistics for Europe

International Road Federation: World Road Statistics  

5. Agencies Involved in the Development of the Indicator

Lead Agency:   Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities). The contact point is Mr. Mario Ronconi ( e-mail: mario.ronconi@eurostat.cec.be; tel. 0035 2 4301 35532, fax  0035 2 4301 37316) 

6. References

(a)                Readings:  

(a)          Internet sites:  

OECD:  http://www.oecd.org