BRUSSELS, 24 OCTOBER – The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) renews its call for fit-for-purpose CO2 regulations for trucks and buses. Despite an unwavering commitment to decarbonisation and record levels of investment by manufacturers in zero-emission vehicles, the proposed targets remain too ambitious without the backing of strong enabling conditions.
Reacting to the position of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment (ENVI), European truck and bus manufacturers expressed concern that while the targets may represent ambition on paper, they are unachievable in practice. . “Decarbonizing heavy transport is not a solo effort,” said ACEA Executive Director Sigrid de Vries. “We operate in a highly interconnected transportation ecosystem. Creating an environment in which automakers can grow and achieve their goals will require the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, including policymakers. We need significant efforts.”
This challenge goes beyond the widespread lack of charging and replenishment infrastructure, and must also address other demand-side measures. Customer demand for electric and hydrogen-powered trucks and buses remains far behind traditional models. “ACEA members have invested and are ready for zero-emission vehicles, but our customers need to invest with confidence as well,” De Vries said.
Policymakers have a wide toolbox at their disposal, including purchasing schemes, tax policies, and other price signals to invest early in zero-emission models. But that development is not consistent with the ambition of his proposed CO2 targets. “Without enabling conditions in place, manufacturers will struggle to meet targets and face penalties, but compliance will largely depend on factors outside of their direct control,” de Vries said. added.
While ACEA welcomes that some of the industry’s concerns have been addressed, the scope of the regulation is We regret that “light trucks” (less than 5 tons) are included in the list. Since these vehicles make up a small portion of heavy transport emissions, this unnecessary overreach will inevitably undermine the effectiveness of regulations. Additionally, ENVI’s opinion does not insert previous baselines for new vehicle segments. This means that the proposed 2030 reduction target compared to the 2025 baseline, which will only be known in 2027, is highly unrealistic.
In response, ACEA is calling for fit-for-purpose CO2 regulations for trucks and buses, and for legislators to address shortcomings in upcoming plenary votes and court negotiations. Only by comprehensively addressing enabling conditions and encouraging action from all stakeholders can we decarbonize transport and protect our competitiveness.
We operate within a highly interconnected transportation ecosystem. Creating an environment in which automakers can grow and achieve their goals requires a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including policymakers.
Notes for editors
- To achieve 45% CO2 reduction by 2030:
- More than 400,000 zero-emission trucks will need to be on the road. This equates to approximately 100,000 new zero-emission truck registrations, or at least one-third of new sales, each year.and
- At least 50,000 publicly accessible chargers are required, including 35,000 megawatt charging systems (MCS) and 700 hydrogen filling stations with a capacity of 2 tons per day.
- For more information on CO2 standards for heavy duty vehicles, please see the fact sheet here: https://www.acea.auto/fact/fact-sheet-co2-standards-for-heavy-duty-vehicles/
- You can also read our news article on the impact of CO2 regulation on truck and bus manufacturers here: https://www.acea.auto/news/eu-co2-regulation-for-trucks-and-
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents 14 major European car, van, truck and bus manufacturers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Trucks, Ferrari, Ford of Europe and Honda Motor Europe. , Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Group.
- For more information about ACEA, please visit and follow us at www.acea.auto. www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
contact:
- Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
- Ben Kennard, Content Editor and Press Manager, bk@acea.auto, +32 487 39 21 82
About the EU automotive industry
- 12.9 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 8.3% of all manufacturing employment in the EU
- European government tax revenue is 392.2 billion euros
- European Union trade surplus is 101.9 billion euros
- More than 7% of EU GDP is generated by the automotive industry
- R&D expenditure is 59.1 billion euros per year, equivalent to 31% of the EU total
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