MEPs vote for cleaner trucks & buses on our roads
Emissions
Today, MEPs have just voted through the outcome of negotiations on new CO2 standards for trucks, trailers, coaches and buses. Heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for more than 25% of GHG emissions from road transport in the EU and for over 6% of total EU GHG emissions. By 2040, the revised EU standards will cut emissions from trucks, coaches and inter-urban buses by 90%. The new rules will also significantly improve air quality in cities by banning the sale of new combustion engine urban buses as of 2035.
Bas Eickhout MEP, Greens/EFA Vice President and European Parliament Rapporteur for the file, comments:
“Trucks and buses are responsible for six percent of the EU’s total CO2 emissions, more than the whole of the Netherlands emits in a year. The new rules will accelerate the transition to affordable electric heavy-duty vehicles, help maintain the global leadership position of European manufacturers, and contribute to improved air quality, particularly in cities.
“The new rules provide clarity to an important European industry. Companies can now invest in electrification and hydrogen with certainty.
“Phasing out combustion engines for trucks & buses would also considerably improve air quality. More and more city buses are already electric, but today this often depends on the ambition of local governments. This law speeds up this transition, by the end of this decade almost all new city buses in Europe will be emission-free. This is crucial for clean and healthy air in our cities.
“Thankfully MEPs saw through the EPP’s attempts to sabotage the deal with their amendments, which would have undermined the climate ambition of the Regulation. This would have only served the interests of the fossil fuel industry, and would have deprived manufacturers of the needed clarity for investments.”
Background:
Road transport is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Europe. The heavy-duty vehicles sector (trucks, trailers, coaches & buses) is responsible for more than 25% of GHG emissions from road transport in the EU and for over 6% of total EU GHG emissions. But it is also one of the sectors that can drive down emissions quickly, as zero-emission technologies are becoming mature and affordable. Studies suggest that new trucks will be cheaper to run than diesel trucks already by 2035 in Europe. Electric city bus sales recently overtook diesel ones in Europe.
