The European Commission has backed proposals to cut the average emissions of new freight trucks by 45 per cent in 2030 and 90 per cent by 2040.
In terms of road transport, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are the hardest to fully decarbonise. Due to their size and weight, electrified trucks face shorter ranges and long charge times to fill up the massive batteries required to power them. This means the decarbonisation of the sector is lagging behind smaller vehicles.
Nevertheless, MEPs have now voted for the aforementioned targets to cut truck emissions, as well as an interim 70 per cent target for 2035, which was higher than the 65 per cent initially proposed by the Commission.
They also said the standards should be extended to cover the 20 per cent of heavy-duty vehicle sales the Commission has proposed to exempt, such as waste and construction trucks and small trucks driving in cities.
Fedor Unterlohner, freight manager at climate campaigners Transport and Environment (T&E), said: “MEPs have doubled down on the environment minister’s support for the draft targets, except they don’t want a fifth of polluting trucks to escape regulation. A broad consensus is clearly emerging between lawmakers that these targets are the minimum needed for the truck sector to decarbonise.”
The MEPs said trailer manufacturers should improve the emissions performance of truck trailers by 12.5 per cent in 2030 – a slightly weaker target than proposed by the Commission.
A separate target for trailers helps reduce the energy required to pull the trailer, ensuring zero-emission trucks can drive even further.
The environment committee rejected loopholes for trucks running on e-fuels and biofuels. According to T&E, most biofuels are unsustainable and e-fuels are needed for sectors with no other options to decarbonise such as aviation and shipping.
Unterlohner continued: “Lawmakers have again rejected the oil industry’s attempts to water down the truck climate targets. A loophole for biofuels and e-fuels would ensure as many fossil-powered trucks as possible enter the fleet over the coming decades and keep up the demand for fossil fuels. We call on the parliament plenary to keep the door closed to these Frankenstein fuels.”
The EU parliament will decide its position on the CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles when it meets next month.
