Vote on transition to electric trucks marks acceleration in emissions reduction
Today, Members of the European Parliament have just voted to set strict CO2 limits for trucks and are calling for all new buses to be emissions-free by 2030. Following new CO2 targets for cars, CO2 targets for buses and trucks are set to be tightened in line with Europe’s ambition to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Parliament has voted for ambitious targets of 45% less CO2 emissions by 2030, 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2040 for heavy-duty vehicles. The file will now go into negotiations between the Parliament and the Council.
Bas Eickhout MEP, Greens/EFA Vice President and European Parliament Rapporteur for this file comments:
"Making road transport more sustainable is not only crucial for the climate, it is also one of the best ways to tackle air pollution in our cities. We need to accelerate the electric transition and give clarity to the industry so that truck manufacturers can invest in the vehicles of the future. Ideally, we wanted a complete phase-out of the combustion engine by 2040, but that turned out to be a bridge too far. Still, these targets are a huge shift forward that will drastically reduce emissions and clean up our air.
"More and more city buses are already electric, but that often depends on the ambition of local governments. With this law, from 2030 new city buses sold across Europe will be emission-free. This is vital to improving air quality in all European cities and making public transport the truly green alternative to cars. The Parliament has also introduced targets to decarbonise smaller urban delivery trucks and vocational vehicles such as rubbish trucks. This will considerably improve air quality in cities.
"Synthetic fuels are expensive and inefficient, and we should only use them when there is no other way. EU countries, manufacturers and NGOs agree that this does not include new trucks and buses. Fortunately, we managed to fend off the attack by conservative politicians on the targets in the law that would include these fuels."
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An ambitious part of the law is a 100% reduction target for new city buses by 2030, with a limited exception for biomethane-fuelled city buses until 2035. Now that the full European Parliament has voted on the mandate, negotiations with member states can begin. EU countries' environment ministers already decided on their positions last month.
