The European Parliament finalized its position on CO2 emissions standards for heavy vehicles on Tuesday (21 November), agreeing to reduce the carbon footprint of new trucks while controversially backing a new class of vehicles powered exclusively by renewable fuels.
Under Parliament’s position, heavy vehicle manufacturers will need to reduce carbon emissions from their new offerings by 45% from 2030, 65% from 2035, and 90% from 2040 – reduction targets that are in line with the European Commission’s initial targets. an offer.
While Parliament’s Environment Committee recommended a 70% cut by 2035, a 65% target was agreed after opposition from Conservative lawmakers.
If passed into law, the targets would mean that zero-emission trucks and buses, such as those powered by electricity or hydrogen, would make up an increasing share of manufacturers’ offerings, with the proportion of vehicles powered by combustion engines diminishing over time.
European Parliament leader Bas Eeckhout, a Dutch lawmaker from the Green Party, will negotiate with member states to finalize the text of the law in so-called tripartite discussions, expected to take place in early 2024.
“The shift towards zero-emission trucks and buses is not only key to meeting our climate goals, but is also a critical driver of cleaner air in our cities,” he said in a statement.
“We provide clarity to one of Europe’s key downstream industries and a clear incentive for investment in electricity and hydrogen.”
As well as setting targets for trucks and buses, Parliament also wants to see zero-emission city buses on sale from 2030. However, cities that have invested in alternative low-carbon fuels for buses, such as biomethane, will receive additional support. Extension until 2035
Parliament also wants to expand the scope of vehicles covered by the targets to include so-called “professional vehicles”, such as concrete mixers, garbage trucks and street sweepers.
Christel Schaldmus, shadow rapporteur of the centre-left Socialists and Democrats group, hailed the agreement as “an important milestone in our efforts to tackle climate change”.
“This review provides a clear signal to the European trucking industry: investments in fossil fuel technologies of the past are set to become stranded assets,” she said. “Investing in decarbonisation, on the contrary, is the way forward for our climate and industrial competitiveness.”
Carbon neutral fuel
In the run-up to the vote, there was much speculation about the so-called carbon correction factor (CCF), a mechanism whereby the amount of renewable fuels in Europe’s fuel mix counts toward the final CO2 targets to be achieved. By automobile manufacturers.
Proponents argued that the CCF would better reflect Europe’s fuel mix, which consists of a percentage of renewable fuels as well as fossil fuels.
However, opponents countered that doing so would stimulate the use of scarce green fuels in the road transport sector, taking away supplies from hard-to-dilute sectors such as aviation and shipping.
Lawmakers ultimately voted to reject the CCF, but supported a proposal for the European Commission to legislatively define a new category of heavy vehicles powered exclusively by e-fuel, made from green hydrogen and carbon sucked from the atmosphere, and biofuels.
This proposal is similar to the one agreed upon during the discussion on CO2 standards for cars, although it expands the definition of carbon-neutral fuel to include biofuels.
Ralf Demmer, managing director of the eFuels Alliance, criticized Parliament for rejecting the CCF, which he said would have helped “unleash the decarbonisation potential of CO2-neutral fuels in road freight transport”.
However, he praised Parliament for voting in favor of allowing the use of environmentally friendly fuel.
“It is right to rethink the previous regulatory approach that only vehicles with net-zero emissions at the tailpipe are climate neutral,” he said.
In contrast, the Green NGO Transport and Environment criticized what it called “the biofuel and e-fuel loophole that weakens climate targets for trucks.”
“Biofuels and e-fuels will not decarbonize heavy vehicles, but they will allow as many diesel trucks as possible to be sold for decades to come,” said Fedor Unterloner, T&E’s freight manager.
Oil companies have pushed hard for this loophole to help maintain demand for fuel. We call on the Council to cut off this lifeline to the fossil fuel industry.”
The European Association for Electric Mobility (AVERE) warned in a statement that including the definition of carbon-neutral fuel could jeopardize the EU’s ambition to lead the zero-emission car market.
“These changes set a dangerous precedent and create a great deal of uncertainty for European truck manufacturers about where Europe is headed and what investments need to be made in the near future,” said Philipp Vangel, Secretary General of AVERE.
In response to the vote, ACEA, a trade association representing automakers, said manufacturers are already investing billions in zero-emission technologies, but more must be done to ensure conditions are created that make consumers feel comfortable buying them.
This includes increasing the number of charging and refueling stations across the bloc, as well as enacting effective carbon pricing schemes.
(Editing by Zoran Radosavljevic)
