European lawmakers have finalized a landmark agreement establishing the most ambitious CO2-reduction targets for trucks and buses worldwide by 2030. While vehicle targets are important for decarbonizing truck and bus transport, addressing demand-side obstacles is equally essential.
In response, leading European truck and bus CEOs have intensified their advocacy efforts, unveiling a Manifesto aimed at facilitating the adoption of zero-emission trucks and buses across Europe. Launched ahead of pivotal European elections, this initiative underscores the collaborative nature of decarbonizing truck and bus transport, involving multiple stakeholders within the transportation and logistics ecosystem.
However, manufacturers cannot address the shared decarbonization challenge alone, especially considering the critical enabling conditions that are beyond their control. For instance, the current lack of suitable public charging infrastructure for trucks and buses poses a significant hurdle. To meet the 2030 CO2-reduction target of 45%, Europe needs a substantial increase in publicly accessible chargers and hydrogen refilling stations.
Moreover, existing carbon pricing mechanisms and incentive schemes are inadequate in bridging the total cost of ownership gap between traditional diesel vehicles and their zero-emission counterparts.
Trucks and buses are vital components of the EU economy, facilitating approximately 80% of goods transportation and over half of public transport journeys. As these vehicles are poised to play an even larger role in European mobility in the future, the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) has outlined a comprehensive blueprint in its #FutureDriven Manifesto, tailored to the unique needs and challenges of zero-emission trucks and buses.
“Truck and bus manufacturers are committed to helping Europe achieve its climate goals, by providing sustainable road transport solutions. We are playing our part by investing in and ramping up production of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered models, but simply setting ambitious targets for manufacturers and hoping smooth implementation follows is not a strategy,” stated Harald Seidel, Chairperson of ACEA’s Commercial Vehicles Board. “Europe is adopting the most ambitious 2030 targets for CO2 reductions in the world. However, ambitious targets must be backed up by equally ambitious enabling conditions and a coherent regulatory framework,” he further added.
