Rebel Nationals led by Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan are pushing a pro-coal agenda and are vehemently opposed to any 2050 emissions target.
Liberals believe a road map containing sufficient goals for clean energy technology would be "the best way to go around Canavan and Barnaby".
"They would be left in the rear-view mirror having yesterday's discussion,'' said one.
The government will take a 2050 emissions "strategy" to the next international climate change conference in Glasgow at the end of this year.
Again on Tuesday, Mr Morrison indicated it was unlikely the government would pledge a target of net zero emissions.
"Currently, no one can tell me that going down that path won't cost jobs, won't put up your electricity prices, and won't impact negatively on jobs in the economies of rural and regional Australia," he said.
"We favour technology over taxation."
Business and clean energy groups cautiously welcomed the concept of a road map.
While the Business Council of Australia said its preference was still for a market-based carbon price to encourage investment, it said technology would be the driver to a net-zero emissions future.
In its energy and climate scoping paper released last month, the BCA outlined the challenges ahead, saying more than $22 billion a year in new investment would be needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Renewable investment, which is already at record levels, would need to double to reach AEMO's forecast of 30 gigawatts of new renewables by 2040 and an additional five to 21 gigawatts of firming capacity.
"This replacement capacity will not be built by the National Electricity Market without the introduction of major policy reforms," the BCA said.
"The NEM's investment signal is almost inoperable."
Australian Energy Council chief executive Sarah McNamara said technology would play an important part in reducing Australia's emissions, and it had to be a national strategy.
"The ideal way to ensure that is to have policies in place that encourage the market to decide which technologies are best suited to reducing emissions at lowest cost, rather than trying to pick winners," she said.
"Currently, what we have is technology targets in the form of large, state-based renewable energy targets, but these can't provide the necessary broader clarity for the energy market."
Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said despite the lack of detail on the government's plan so far, a technology target would provide some much-needed direction for the energy sector as it moved towards a low-emissions future.
"The Renewable Energy Target provided a clear ambition for the levels of deployment of renewable energy by 2020, and a technology target could help fill the current policy void and provide investors and the industry with a sense of ambition and direction for the energy transition over coming decades," he said.
The Morrison government ruled out extending the RET and it is unlikely to set targets mandating certain technologies.
COAL21, the coal industry's low-emission technology fund, backed a technology investment target to reduce carbon emissions.