Urgent Call for EU to Accelerate Zero-Emission Truck Adoption
Key Ideas
- Transport and environmental organizations urge the EU to speed up revisions to the Weights and Dimensions Directive to promote zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
- The current adoption rate of zero-emission trucks in the EU is low, with only 1.9% of new truck registrations being zero-emission in the first half of 2024.
- The General Approach on the directive is crucial for enabling the transition to zero-emission trucks and meeting the EU's 2030 CO2 reduction targets.
- Organizations stress the importance of revising the directive to ensure unrestricted access for zero-emission vehicles on EU roads while minimizing road wear.
Transport and environmental organizations, including ACEA, AVERE, Hydrogen Europe, and Transport & Environment, have collectively called on the European Union to hasten the adoption of revisions to the Weights and Dimensions Directive. The directive, which governs vehicle size and weight limits on EU roads, is vital for facilitating the shift to zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles (ZEVs). Currently, ZEVs account for only 1.9% of new truck registrations in the EU, falling short of the target needed to meet the 2030 CO2 reduction goals. The organizations emphasized the need to revise the directive to grant ZEVs unrestricted access to EU roads, provide necessary weight allowances, and minimize road wear. They highlighted the critical role of ZEVs in Europe's decarbonization efforts and urged the EU to finalize the General Approach by the end of 2024 to expedite negotiations. The swift adoption of these revisions is deemed essential to harmonize with existing EU laws and support the growth of ZEVs in the heavy-duty vehicle sector.