US unveils new lorry fuel economy target; EU left for dust – again
Today's announcement by US authorities of a target to improve lorry fuel efficiency by 24% by 2027, on top of limits announced in 2011, is a wake-up call to the EU which has failed to regulate heavy-duty vehicles' CO2 emissions. Europe currently only plans to introduce a monitoring scheme.
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William Todts, transport programme manger at T&E, said: “This is a direct challenge to Europe’s technological and industrial leadership in lorry manufacturing. It’s time for the EU to wake up from its lethargy and set its own standard. This would maintain our lead in the race for cleaner trucks and would also save hauliers money while helping EU countries to keep truck emissions in check.”
While lorries make up only 3% of vehicles, they account for 25% of road transport CO2 emissions in Europe. Their fuel efficiency has stagnated for the last 20 years and, contrary to cars or vans, the EU has not set fuel economy standards for trucks. For hauliers, fuel amounts to a third of the cost of a running a fleet.
European manufacturers have a leading position on the global HDV market, accounting for over 40% of total global production.
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