Combustion trucks might be allowed in Europe “until at least 2040”
The EU Commission is set to release a new proposal on February 14 about a possible phase-out on combustion truck sales, similar to the one already established for cars and vans by 2035. Not before 2040, insiders say.
EU institutions might leave room for combustion trucks until “at least 2040”. Indeed, the EU Commission is set to release a new proposal on February 14 about a possible phase-out on combustion truck sales, similar to the one already established for cars and vans by 2035. The insiders at Euractive managed to get a leaked document, according to which such phase out is not supposed to be set before the end of next decade.
Combustion trucks phase out: the surrounding scenario
A primary NGO, like Transport & Environment (T&E), has called for the same 2035 phase-out date to also apply for heavy-duty vehicles. A quote published by Euractive, coming from Freight Manager Fedor Unterlohner of T&E, says: “With an 18-year average life span of trucks in Europe, 2040 would be too late for the climate”.
Similarly, as we wrote here, four EU member states, namely the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Luxembourg, have recently issued a joint statement, calling for end of sales of combution engine trucks and buses as soon as possible, following the proposal of stricter CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles.
On the other hand, the IRU and other industry groups have been warning EU institutions on risks to supply chains in trucking, facing the current energy transition.
