Europeans asking the tough CO2 questions

European truck makers are calling for practical measures to realise the European Union’s plan for a 30 per cent cut in CO2 emissions from heavy vehicles by 2030.

Europe does not currently impose an emissions limit or testing on new heavy vehicles, unlike most other countries. A proposal approved last week mandates a 15 per cent cut in 2019 emissions by 2025, followed by a further 15 per cent by 2030.

That proposal is still to be ratified by the European Parliament and Council but the process is typically a formality.

The EU has also called for a two per cent market share of zero and low-emission vehicles by 2025.

Heavy goods vehicles – trucks and buses – now account for more than a quarter of road-based emissions.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA – go figure…) says it is concerned about the “highly ambitious CO2 reduction targets set for trucks … as their implementation does not depend solely on the commercial vehicle industry, and the baseline for the targets is still unknown”.

“We can now only call upon member states to urgently step up their efforts to roll-out the infrastructure required for charging and refuelling the alternatively-powered trucks which will need to be sold en masse if these targets are to be met,” ACEA secretary general, Erik Jonnaert, says.

“We cannot expect transport operators to suddenly start buying electric or other alternatively-powered trucks if there is no business case for them and it is not possible to easily charge the vehicles along all major EU motorways (the ACEA says there are no truck-specific electric or hydrogen refuelling stations).

“Policy makers must act to ensure that the zero-emission trucks that manufacturers will be mandated to produce can actually be bought and operated by our customers.”

EU commissioner Arias Canete says implementing truck pollution standards "will help tackle emissions, as well as bring fuel savings to transport operators and cleaner air for all Europeans”.