The EU must dramatically strengthen its CO2 targets for truckmakers to help encourage a shift to zero-emission models, European campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E) has said.
Trucks. Photo: Canetti / Shutterstock
Photo: Canetti / Shutterstock
In a study entitled "Easy Ride: why the EU truck CO2 targets are unfit for the 2020s," the climate group found that improvements in fuel efficiency and aerodynamics meant that truckmakers can easily meet the EU's current 2025 CO2 targets while only having to make only a few zero-emission long-haul trucks.
The study also found that most truckmakers have already made voluntary commitments for electric vehicle sales that go beyond EU requirements.
"Truckmakers are clearly able to decarbonise quicker," T&E's acting freight director Lucien Mathieu said in a statement. "It's time to make them."
Read more: EU Must Toughen Up CO2 Targets For Vans Says Climate Group
Under current rules, truckmakers have a voluntary target for zero-emission vehicles to make up 2% of sales from 2025 onwards. The European Commission is expected to revise that target.
Based on truckmakers' voluntary commitments, the study estimated that zero-emission trucks will make up 7% of sales in 2025 and 43% in 2030.
T&E said this shows the EU can set a realistic "but more ambitious" target that at least 30% of sales should be zero-emission trucks by 2028.
The study also found that Swedish truckmaker Scania, part of Volkswagen AG's commercial vehicle arm Traton SE, is leading in this respect: with CO2 emissions 5.3% lower below the average for the most common type of long-haul truck thanks due to improved aerodynamics.
Renault and Iveco, the truck and bus business of Italian-American CNH Industrial, are both lagging behind, T&E said, with emissions 2.6% and 2.4% above the average respectively.
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