The European Commission has proposed on Tuesday to impose a 90% reduction in pollutant emissions in the fleet of new trucks registered in the European Union from 2040 (compared to 2019 levels), as well as to reach the zero emissions target for city buses as early as 2023.
«By the 2050 horizon virtually all vehicles on our roads will have to be zero-emission. Our climate law demands it, our cities are asking for it and manufacturers are preparing for it,» said the Vice-President of the EU executive responsible for the Green Pact, Frans Timmermans, at a press conference in Strasbourg (France), in the margins of the plenary session of the European Parliament being held there.
The new rules for heavy-duty vehicles, which must still be negotiated with the 27 governments and the European Parliament before seeing the light of day, foresee a gradual approach with intermediate reductions before reaching 90% in 2040.
However, Timmermans explained that this ambitious proposed cut leaves the door open to a 10% reduction in emissions because existing technologies do not currently offer solutions for heavy-duty vehicles that allow them to avoid polluting energies in extreme driving conditions, such as low temperatures or steep slopes.
The Community services therefore advocate a progressive reduction trajectory starting with a 45% cut from 2030 (compared to 2019) and 65% from 2035, reaching 90% in 2040.
But they foresee exemptions that will leave out of the CO2 emissions computation small manufacturers, vehicles used in mining, agriculture and forestry services, those for military forces, civil protection, firefighters, emergency medical care and law enforcement.
According to Brussels, trucks, city buses and long-distance coaches are responsible for a quarter of road transport emissions in the European Union and 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
The EU executive further argues that this proposal will also have a positive impact on the energy transition by reducing demand for imported fossil fuels and improving energy savings and efficiency in the EU transport sector.
It also expects it to benefit European transport operators and users by reducing fuel and ownership costs and ensuring a wider deployment of more energy-efficient vehicles.
«Fleets will be ‘cleaned up’ as entrepreneurs renew them,» reasoned Timmermans, who pointed out the willingness to accompany the sector in the transition, aware that these changes, rather than the manufacturers, who are already working with clean energy, will affect road transport companies, often with very small fleets.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
