On Friday 15 September, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action published a report analysing the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of new heavy commercial vehicles. This review, based on data collected between July 2020 and June 2021, serves as a barometer for understanding the environmental performance of these vehicles within the European Union.
The report shows that over 96% of newly registered heavy commercial vehicles still use diesel as their main fuel. However, there is variability between Member States in the uptake of alternative fuels, such as LNG and CNG. In Bulgaria, for example, up to 10% of vehicles use alternative fuels, while in other countries, such as Croatia and Greece, the figure is less than 0.5%.
What’s more, despite the ongoing energy transition, the number of zero-emission heavy commercial vehicles remains very low in the EU, with just 51 registered during the period under review. However, some may not have been declared, as the document points out.
The analysis reveals significant variations in specific CO2 emissions between Member States and manufacturers, particularly for lorries weighing less than 16 tonnes. For example, the gap between the best- and the worst-performing Member State’s fleet is more than 15%. For manufacturers, the disparity is 20%.
This inequality can be explained, among other things, by the different payloads used in vehicle simulations.
For lorries over 16 tonnes, performance is more uniform. These heavier vehicles have simulations based on payloads that do not depend on their individual technical characteristics.
In addition, almost half of all new heavy commercial vehicles are equipped with advanced driver assistance systems. What’s more, according to the study, many of them could benefit from advanced aerodynamic devices or pulse and glide technology, helping to further reduce their emissions.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/8pt (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)