From 2035, all trucks in the European Union must be emission-free. Some forty major European companies, including Unilever, Siemens and Maersk, are calling for this. They sent a letter to the European Commission on Thursday in which they insist on tightening up policy.
An exemption of five years should apply for trucks in certain sectors such as construction, mining and for the transport of wood. This is because large-scale development and production of specific trucks for these professions would require more time.
According to the letter writers, a zero-emission strategy determines “how quickly the EU moves from polluting fossil fuel trucks to clean zero-emission alternatives”. It must also become clear whether the EU wants to take the lead in this “inevitable industrial transition” or whether the country bloc will lag.
The EU has already proposed to ban the use of fossil-fuel passenger cars by 2035. Brussels is also currently working on proposals for CO2 reduction targets for trucks. This also involves the development of charging infrastructure for electric or hydrogen-powered trucks. Automakers are now taking significant steps in the field of electric passenger cars. But there are hardly any models available of zero-emission heavy trucks.
The letter’s signatories also call on the European Commission to increase the CO2 reduction target for trucks in 2030. By then, emissions should have been reduced by 65 percent compared to 2019. Now it is still about a 30 percent reduction by then. That savings should now be achieved by 2027.
The companies also state that “targeted financial support” is needed to offset the “higher upfront costs” of electric trucks. This is especially true for early adopters and small and medium-sized enterprises.
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