Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The European Commission proposed stricter transport rules as part of its green push, stressing the importance of lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
The body wants new trucks to have 90% lower emissions by 2040 and city buses to eliminate emissions altogether by 2030, according to Reuters report on Tuesday.
The EC wants to align the rules for the transport sector in the bloc with its environmental goals, reminding that the EU is to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
In addition, the Commission pointed out that its proposal would help to reduce demand for fossil fuel imports.
Last year, the bloc decided to ban the sale of new automobiles with internal combustion engines and hybrids in 2035.
According to EC’s latest proposal, carmakers would have to cut the average CO2 emissions of new trucks by 90% compared to 2019 levels. New trucks would have to cut emissions by 45% by 2030, 65% by 2035, and 90% by 2040.
Some bloc members including the Netherlands called for imposing a zero emissions goal for trucks in 2040, while other EU member states opposed the idea stressing that it would be too soon.
Frans Timmermans, European Commissioner for Climate Action, pointed out that the EC did not want to propose a full emissions cut because it is not clear when such vehicles will become available.
“We will eventually have to move to a 100% target,” he concluded.
Activists not happy
Environmental activists expressed disappointment with the EC’s proposal, warning that it could jeopardise the bloc’s green ambitions.
Transport & Environment (T&E) NGO’s freight manager Fedor Unterlohner expressed the belief that “polluting trucks will continue to be sold for years longer than necessary, making the EU’s net-zero goal impossible.”
He noted that, on average, trucks in the EU were 14 years old in 2020, according to European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) records released in 2022.
Swedish automotive company Volvo started production of electric trucks in 2022, predicting that 50% of its truck deliveries will be electric by 2030.
Compared to their diesel counterparts, electric trucks have significantly shorter ranges and take much longer to refuel, making them suitable for short- and medium-range routes.
Besides electric trucks, potential alternatives to diesel include hydrogen-powered vehicles, which are still under development.
