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Industry groups urge EU to speed up revision of Weights and Dimensions Directive

Transport and environmental organisations, including ACEA, AVERE, Hydrogen Europe, and Transport & Environment, have called on the European Union to accelerate the adoption of revisions to the Weights and Dimensions Directive. 

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ACEA, AVERE, Hydrogen Europe, and Transport & Environment (T&E) stressed the urgency of adopting a General Approach on the directive to support the market uptake of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles (ZEVs) in a joint letter addressed to the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the transport ministers of all 27 EU member states..

The directive, which sets the standards for vehicle size and weight limits across EU roads, is key to enabling the transition to zero-emission trucks. As of the first half of 2024, ZEVs represented only 1.9% of new truck registrations in the EU. To meet the EU’s 2030 CO2 reduction targets for heavy-duty vehicles, at least one-third of all new truck registrations must be zero-emission.

The letter emphasised the importance of revising the directive to provide ZEVs with unrestricted access to the EU’s road network, alongside weight allowances and other necessary adjustments, while minimising the impact on road wear. 

According to the signatories, the swift adoption of the General Approach is essential to maintaining consistency with existing EU legislation and facilitating interinstitutional negotiations in early 2025.

In urging the Council of the EU to act, the organisations reiterated that the directive’s revision is indispensable for fostering the growth of ZEVs in the heavy-duty sector, which will play a critical role in achieving Europe’s decarbonisation goals. They called on the Council to finalise the General Approach by the end of 2024 to ensure timely progress in negotiations.

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