Europe perplexed about the decarbonization of trucks?

While the news is full of electric trucks, the European Commission has excluded heavy-duty vehicles from the 2050 carbon neutrality goals.

We no longer know which way to turn. When the electric transition for all vehicles was an absolute urgency, even forced with too short deadlines, and the entire industry was mobilized, today the European Commission is backtracking.

Not everything is bleak, as the European Parliament adopted, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, an agreement regarding CO2 emissions for heavy-duty vehicles (trucks, buses, coaches) registered from 2030. Conversely, heavy-duty vehicles that are being worked on intensely by Tesla, Mercedes, Volvo, Scania, Iveco… or Decathlon will not be affected. A misjudgment?

This “Green Deal” has agreed on a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions starting in 2025 for heavy vehicles, followed by -45% in 2030, -65% in 2035, and -90% in 2040 compared to 2020 levels. The goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

A true green lung?

The European Commission estimates that road freight emissions account for 27% of total vehicle emissions and 6% of the total CO2 volume in Europe, across all emissions (heating, agriculture, construction, etc.).

Within this agreement, one notable aspect is that new buses must be 100% zero-emission by 2035, with an intermediate step of 90% by 2030. City centers will become more breathable and quieter. However, questions remain regarding long-distance buses.

Finally, the issue of heavy-duty vehicles remains unresolved. The standoff between transporters (who are convinced that this shift will be the way forward) and legislators revolves around the cost of electric or hydrogen trucks. Currently, less than 1% of the fleet is electric, and reaching a level of 40% by 2030 seems indeed utopian.

Should we ease the pressure then? To ask the question is already to somewhat answer it.

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