The agreement outlines new emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), introducing targets for 2030, 2035, and 2040. The proposed rules seek to expand the scope of the regulation to cover almost all new HDVs, including smaller trucks, urban buses, coaches, and trailers. Certain exemptions from CO2 reduction targets are specified for small-volume manufacturers, vehicles used in specific sectors such as mining and agriculture, as well as those employed by the armed forces and emergency services.
Vocational vehicles, such as garbage trucks and concrete mixers, will be included in the regulation at a later stage (2035), with a possibility of extending the scope to smaller lorries (under 5t) being explored by the Commission.
The agreement also addresses the retrofitting of conventional vehicles to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), allowing for the transfer of such vehicles between manufacturers, subject to a Commission assessment by 2025.
The emission reduction targets for heavy trucks over 7.5t and coaches align with the EU’s climate objectives, with reductions set at 45% for 2030, 65% for 2035, and 90% for 2040. Additionally, a 15% reduction target for 2025, already outlined in the existing regulation, remains in place.
For trailers and semi-trailers, the agreed reduction targets are set at 7.5% and 10%, respectively. The introduction of the term 'e-trailers’ aims to provide legal clarity and adapt the regulation to technical developments in this new type of trailer.
Urban buses are targeted with a 100% zero-emission goal by 2035, accompanied by an intermediate target of 90% by 2030. Inter-urban buses are exempted from this target, falling under the general targets for coaches.
A review clause is incorporated into the agreement, requiring the Commission to assess the effectiveness and impact of the regulation’s targets in 2027. The review will also consider the development of a common methodology for assessing and reporting the full lifecycle CO2 emissions of new HDVs, as well as the role of a carbon correction factor (CCF) and the methodology for registering HDVs running exclusively on CO2-neutral fuels.
The provisional agreement is now set to undergo endorsement by member states’ representatives within the Council and the Parliament’s environment committee. If approved, the text will then undergo formal adoption by both institutions before being published in the EU’s Official Journal and entering into force.
ACEA: targets must be supported by credible framework
Truck and bus manufacturers fully support an ambitious decarbonisation agenda, states the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), adding that the highly ambitious CO2 reduction targets must be backed up by credible enabling conditions.
“Electric charging and hydrogen refilling infrastructure, comprehensive carbon pricing schemes, and meaningful support measures for transport operators to invest quickly: these are the key ingredients for rapidly decarbonising the heavy-duty transport sector, in addition to zero-emission vehicles,” emphasised Sigrid de Vries, ACEA Director General.
To achieve targets by 2030, more than 400,000 battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles will have to be on the road, and at least one-third of all new registrations must be zero-emission models. Europe needs at least 50,000 suitable charging stations (the majority being Megawatt Charging Systems) and at least 700 hydrogen refilling stations to make the equation work, ACEA warns.
Decarbonising heavy-duty transport requires a collective effort from a diverse set of stakeholders across the transport ecosystem.
“We are playing our part by investing and ramping up series production of zero-emission trucks and buses, but we rely on our customers’ ability to invest and operate new vehicles to replace older vehicles currently on Europe’s roads,” de Vries added.