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May 14 2024

New EU CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles: the work begins

The European Council has reached a final decision on the new EU CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles. This concludes a legislative process that led to overly idealistic emission reduction targets. But more work lies ahead. The standards include a revision clause for 2027 and further evaluation of the role of carbon-neutral fuels in achieving net-zero emissions.
IRU has acknowledged the European Council’s final approval of the trilogue agreement with the European Parliament on the new CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles.

 

While steering clear of mandatory purchasing quotas for transport operators, as called for by IRU, the new CO₂ emission reduction targets set unrealistic implementation expectations for vehicle manufacturers given the current economic and infrastructure limitations. This will restrict the range of vehicle technologies available to transport operators in the future.

 

The law mandates that the European Commission promptly assesses the status of enabling conditions for the deployment ofzero-emission vehicles and allows for a potential review of the law in 2027.

 

IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian said, “It looks like a done deal. But for us, the discussion is just beginning.

“From the perspective of the infrastructure necessary for the widespread deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, we are only at the beginning. From the perspective of the awareness and willingness of our sector’s customers to share the transition’s high cost, the journey has just started.

“At the same time, the EU has already set a very ambitious target for 2030. We are optimistic that a lot will be done in the meantime. But the Commission should soon start a proper analysis to realistically forecast what is achievable by 2030. In other words, the legislators have been idealistic so far. It is now time to add up the numbers and see what the EU economy can actually deliver.” Read more

 

Source: IRU