On 19 February 2019, the European Commission and the European Parliament issued a temporary agreement on the limits for CO2 emissions from industrial vehicles.
The new legislation on emissions from industrial vehicles has taken a step forward with the interim agreement between the European Commission and the European Parliament. The text stipulates that between 2025 and 2029, new trucks will have to achieve a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to current levels and, from 2030, a further 30% reduction will be made. Producers who do not meet these limits will have to pay penalties.
In addition to CO2 emission limits, legislators intend to strengthen incentives for the purchase of low- or zero-emission industrial vehicles, such as hybrid or electric vehicles. According to the European Commission, trucks and buses contribute 6% to total EU emissions. The next step for the new legislation is the support of the EU Member States and the approval of the Members of the European Parliament before the formal adoption of the European Council. This procedure should be completed before the end of May, when current legislation breaks down.
The Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers expresses its concern about this decision because the achievement of the objectives is not only industry-driven and because the terms of the reduction indicate percentages on indeterminate basis. An important element is building the infrastructure to power electric vehicles or alternative fuels that do not depend on the automotive industry. In addition, they criticize the mechanism according to which, starting in 2025, a quota of zero-emission trucks must be introduced, an objective which does not depend on the supply of vehicles, but on demand in the market, which in turn depends on the presence of the infrastructure power supply.