Some of Europe’s biggest shippers and energy companies are calling on the European Commission to impose binding zero-emission targets for corporate fleets, arguing that clear rules are needed to accelerate the shift to electric trucks.
In a letter sent on 3 October to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, signatories including Pepsico, Nestlé, IKEA and EDF urged Brussels to table legislation by the end of 2025 requiring large buyers of transport services to transition to zero-emission vehicles in the heavy-duty sector.
The letter stresses that binding fleet targets would give logistics operators greater certainty when investing in zero-emission trucks, while also encouraging energy companies to step up grid and charging infrastructure upgrades.
“This new European initiative is a first of its kind asking logistics companies to electrify their deliveries,” said Stef Cornelis, Fleets & Freight director at Transport & Environment (T&E), which coordinated the initiative. “The message of this letter is clear: green leaders in the sector are ready to take the lead and call on President von der Leyen to move forward with this. These green delivery targets for freight buyers will support trucking companies in making the switch to electric. They will give Europe’s power sector the certainty they need to further ramp up investments in charging infrastructure and electricity grids.”
Push for regulatory certainty
The signatories argue that Europe’s competitiveness and clean-tech leadership depend on providing the right framework for investment. Binding rules for shippers would, they say, safeguard jobs and attract investment while ensuring that the rollout of zero-emission trucks is matched with rapid charging deployment and grid readiness.
The letter comes at a time when the European Commission is itself preparing draft legislation on corporate fleets. According to earlier reports, Brussels is considering rules that would oblige companies to register only zero-emission vehicles by 2030, with an interim target of 75% by 2027. A public consultation on the proposal closed in September, with final details expected later this year.
Wider industry mobilisation
The shippers’ initiative also follows the recent launch of E-Mobility Europe, a cross-industry coalition of truckmakers, hauliers, utilities and freight buyers. That group warned yesterday that Europe has fewer than 1,600 days to put more than twenty times as many electric trucks on the road, expand charging points tenfold, and secure €600 billion in grid investment if it is to meet 2030 climate goals.
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