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Feb 20 2019

Progress on truck CO2 standards achieved but targets must remain realistic

The agreement reached by European policy-makers yesterday is welcomed by IRU as a positive step forward towards passing this file into legislation in the coming months.

Ensuring that increasingly fuel-efficient trucks are brought to the market within the shortest delay is in the interest of transport operators striving to reduce their fuel consumption. IRU is therefore pleased to see that the proposed 2025 target of 15% has been maintained in the European Commission’s proposal for the first European truck CO2 standards.

However, IRU continues to voice concern over setting a definitive target for 2030. The Council recognised that a different methodology will be required for commercial vehicles based on the use of alternative fuels as the main decarbonisation driver for commercial vehicles and acknowledged that electrification will not be the technology of choice to reach the goal. A 30% reduction will only be feasible if based on a Well-to-Wheel approach and it is essential that the 2030 target of 30% can still be reviewed in 2022. Of equal concern is the agreement for a sales mandate for zero and low-emission vehicles (ZLEVs) of 2%. Sales mandates for ZLEVs could encourage greater investment into smaller vehicles which are easier to electrify. A shift to smaller vehicles would lead to increased congestion and thereby more CO2 emissions. Read more

 

 

Source: IRU