On Thursday, 17 January, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) once again entered the fray – with new figures to back it up – to raise concerns about the serious lack of charging infrastructures for new electric or low-carbon heavy-duty vehicles in the EU – infrastructures without which, in its opinion, ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles are unrealistic.
This study was intentionally published prior to the second interinstitutional negotiation meeting, scheduled for Tuesday evening, 22 January, on the draft regulation which, for the first time, will establish performance standards for reducing CO2 emissions from the European fleet of new heavy-duty vehicles after 2020, and bearing in mind that the Romanian Presidency of the Council hopes to reach a provisional agreement in February (see EUROPE 12167).
Achieving the ambitious objectives envisaged will only be possible with a massive and rapid expansion of zero- or low-emission trucks on the market, ACEA points out.
Yet, the study shows that at least 6,000 high-power charging points for electric trucks and at least 20,000 charging points for alternative fuel vehicles would be needed along EU motorways by 2025/2030.
“The shocking fact is that there is not one single public charging point for long-haul trucks available today. What is more, a standard for the required high-power plugs doesn’t exist yet”, notes the organisation’s secretary general, Erik Jonnaert, in a statement.
According to the study, some 1,000 hydrogen charging stations, specifically designed for heavy-duty trucks, would also be needed by 2025/2030. There are currently fewer than ten of these stations for cars, and these are not suitable for long-haul trucks.
Although there are public filling stations for compressed and liquefied natural gas in some EU Member States, ACEA points out that their number is limited and their distribution is uneven across Europe. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)