On Thursday 18 January, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on new CO2 emission standards for new heavy duty vehicles (see EUROPE 13297/7).
“The transition towards zero-emission trucks and buses is not only key to meeting our climate targets, but also a crucial driver for cleaner air in our cities”, commented European Parliament rapporteur Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Dutch). “We are providing clarity for one of the major manufacturing industries in Europe and a strong incentive to invest in electrification and hydrogen”, he added.
The EU Council and Parliament have maintained the targets set by the European Commission in its initial proposal: a 45% reduction by 2030, a 65% reduction by 2035 and a 90% reduction by 2040, in addition to the 15% reduction target for 2025 already set out in the current regulation. These targets will apply to heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes and buses. They will also apply to commercial vehicles (e.g. refuse lorries, tippers, concrete mixers) from 2035.
For new city buses, the targets set include a 90% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a 100% reduction by 2035. Reduction targets have also been set at 7.5% for trailers and 10% for semi-trailers, from 2030.
The agreement also includes exemptions for the following vehicles and sectors of activity: - small volume manufacturers and vehicles used in mining, forestry and agriculture; - vehicles used by the armed forces and fire services; - vehicles used for civil protection, public order and medical care.
Under the agreement, the Commission will carry out a detailed review of the effectiveness and impact of the regulation by 2027. This examination will assess, among other things: - extending the scope of application to small lorries; - the role of a methodology for the registration of heavy commercial vehicles running exclusively on CO2- neutral fuels; - the role of a carbon correction factor in the transition to zero-emission heavy commercial vehicles.
The agreement must be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council before coming into force.
“European producers now have a clear trajectory to ramp up production of electric and hydrogen rigs and be ready for the challenge of Tesla and Chinese rivals”, said Fedor Unterlohner, freight manager at the European Federation for Transport and Environment.
“Without an enabling framework to shore up demand for the zero-emission models, achieving targets will be impossible, especially with the envisaged timeline”, warned Sigrid de Vries, Director General of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
The European Association of Automotive Suppliers believes that substantial additional investment will be needed to achieve these ambitious standards. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)