New truck emissions, T&E: the EU Commission proposal is not enough to stop polluting vehicles
"By 2035 virtually all new electric lorries will be cheaper to run than diesels while driving as far and carrying as much. But without a clear EU deadline, diesel trucks will pollute our lungs and the planet for years longer than necessary”, stated Fedor Unterlohner, freight manager at T&E.
The EU Commission proposal on new truck CO2 emissions, issued last week, has been highly reviewed and even criticized by primary international organizations, as we wrote here. Transport & Environment (T&E) said the proposal is not enough to stop polluting vehciles at the right time. In fact, according to T&E, the proposed 90% CO2 reduction target for truckmakers virtually ensures that diesel freight trucks would still be on the road 10 years later, in 2050.
T&E on new truck emissions
“It urged MEPs and governments to instead set a 2035 zero-emissions deadline”, wrote T&E, in compliance with the request coming from four EU member states not long ago. “The failure to set a deadline for polluting trucks is a craven concession to truck manufacturers. By 2035 virtually all new electric lorries will be cheaper to run than diesels while driving as far and carrying as much. But without a clear EU deadline, diesel trucks will pollute our lungs and the planet for years longer than necessary”, stated Fedor Unterlohner, freight manager at T&E.
“Ambitious EU climate rules are driving the electrification of cars and are badly needed for trucks. Without more stringent targets from 2030, there will be a glut of polluting diesel lorries still on our roads for decades to come. Europe also risks denying investment certainty to battery production and metals processing, driving companies into the arms of the Inflation Reduction Act”, added Fedor Unterlohner.
