EU truck targets too weak to incentivise transition to zero-emission vehicles
T&E's study on truckmakers' progress towards EU truck CO2 targets shows that most are already on track to overachieve the target set for 2025, without increasing their production of zero-emission vehicles.
Improvements in aerodynamics and fuel efficiency mean trucks can already achieve the EU’s 2025 CO2 reduction target while producing just a few zero-emission vehicles. If all of Europe’s trucks performed as well as the most efficient models on the market, it would reduce average truck CO2 emissions by 6% today. But efficiency gains alone will not get Europe’s trucking sector to net-zero and truckmakers are going to slowly on their own.
Most truckmakers have made voluntary commitments for electric sales which go beyond what the EU requires. According to their public announcements, these voluntary commitments would take the market to around 7% zero-emission vehicles in 2025 and 43% in 2030 – higher than the 5% needed in 2025 to meet existing targets. These voluntary announcements show that the EU can set a realistic – but more ambitious – target of at least 30% zero-emission trucks by 2028.
Related Articles
View All
Are new electric entrants serious competition for European truckmakers?
European truckmakers face increasing competition as new players enter the heavy electric truck market offering performant products for cheaper.
Chinese and US truckmakers set to gain over a quarter of European electric truck market by 2030
T&E warns that maintaining ambition of the truck CO2 standards will be critical to EU manufacturers remaining market leaders
EU heavy-duty vehicle transition needs renewed political momentum
IRU and T&E are calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to launch a strategic dialogue on heavy-duty vehicle decarbonisation, as...