On 19 February 2019, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a political agreement on the text of a draft law aimed at reducing the levels of carbon dioxide emissions (CO²) from heavy-duty vehicles. The draft regulation is embedded in the European Commission’s project, Europe on the Move, introduced in 2018, with the purpose of obtaining a greener and safer mobility in Europe.

The new rules establish that between 2025 and 2029, new trucks will emit on average 15% less CO² compared to 2019 emission levels. From 2030 onwards, they will be required to emit on average 30% less CO². In case of non-compliance with these targets, truck manufacturers will have to pay a financial penalty in the form of an excess emissions premium.

Moreover, manufacturers have to ensure that zero-emission and low-emission vehicles (ZLEV) represent a 2% market share of the sales of new vehicles by 2025. Buses and coaches are excluded from the ZLEV system because these vehicle types are already incentivized through other measures.

The new rules also provides for specific measures, which will ensure the availability of robust and reliable data, which will be obtained through on-board devices that monitor the actual fuel and energy consumption of heavy-duty vehicles. 

These rules are added to those agreed for light-duty vehiclesand aim at obtaining a 40% global reduction of all carbon dioxide emissions from road transport by 2030.

Sara Capruzzi