THE EUROPEAN Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has expressed its serious concerns on the European Parliament vote on the EU’s first ever CO2 standards for trucks which are planned to be implemented in just six years’ time.
‘Europe’s truck industry is willing to commit to ambitious CO2 targets such as 7% by 2025 and 16% by 2030 which are technologically and economically viable in the given timeframe,’ stated ACEA secretary general Erik Jonnaert. However, the extremely stringent and much higher CO2 reduction levels that MEPs voted on go even beyond the Commission’s initial proposal, which was already highly challenging.
‘These targets would pose major problems, as they simply do not take account of the realities and complexities of the truck market nor the long development cycles for heavy duty vehicles,’ Erik Jonnaert explained. ‘MEPs should be aware that trucks that will hit the market in 2025 are already under development now.
‘The excessively high CO2 targets do not take account of the fact that the electrification potential of heavy duty vehicles is much lower than for cars, especially when it comes to long haul delivery trucks. In addition, recharging infrastructure is lacking, in particular along motorways.’
