Bloc boosts clean transport agenda with plan to cut emissions from new trucks 30 per cent by 2030
The European Union last night passed rules to reduce carbon emissions from trucks for the first time, in a move that will require freight firms to step up investment in new low-carbon technologies.
Emissions from new trucks must be cut by 30 per cent below 2019 levels by 2030, the EU agreed on Tuesday night, following successful trilogue negotiations between the European Parliament, Council, and Commission.
An interim target has also been set, requiring a 15 per cent reduction in emissions by 2025. A review of both targets is slated for 2022.
The move marks the first time emissions targets have been imposed on heavy trucks operating in the EU.
Trucks account for almost a quarter of European transport emissions, despite making up less than five per cent of vehicles on the road.
The EU's commissioner for climate action and energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, said the new measures will help the bloc towards its goal of cutting overall greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030.
"The new targets and incentives will help tackle emissions, as well as bring fuel savings to transport operators and cleaner air for all Europeans," he said. "For the EU industry, this is an opportunity to embrace innovation towards zero-emission mobility and further strengthen its global leadership in clean vehicles."
The news follows new rules agreed in December to cut emissions from passenger cars and light vans by 37.5 per cent and 31 per cent respectively by 2030.
Policymakers hope the standards will help stimulate demand for low-emission truck technology, including those running on battery power and biomethane. A host of leading logistics firms are working on ambitious plans to decarbonise their fleets and are stepping up investment in new electric and fuel cell trucks. Just this week online retail giant Amazon announced global plans to halve the carbon impact of all its shipments by 2030.
Green NGO Transport & Environment applauded the new EU rules, describing them as "excellent news" for truckers and the environment. "After 20 years of very little progress on fuel efficiency, truckmakers now need to start offering affordable, low-carbon trucks, enabling huge fuel savings for Europe's haulage industry," said T&E's cleaner trucks officer Stef Cornelis. "But this is just a start and the standards will need to be made a lot more ambitious when they are reviewed in 2022," he warned.
However, the European suppliers association CLEPA warned the rules will be "difficult to achieve", arguing European trucks are already "the most efficient in the world".
"Automotive suppliers are committed to contributing to meet the obligations under the Paris agreement," Sigrid de Vries, secretary general of CLEPA, insisted. "For the regulation to efficiently achieve emission reductions, an approach is necessary which looks not only at the efficiency of the vehicle tractors but also the trailers, as well as facilitating the deployment of low carbon synthetic fuel."