European Truckmakers Ask the EU to Delay 2030 CO₂ Target

Europe wants truck emissions cut by 43% by 2030. Only 2.4% of new heavy trucks are zero-emission, and manufacturers warn that Brussels is preparing fines for a market that barely exists.

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A truck on the road as European manufacturers face pressure to cut emissions amid weak demand for zero-emission vehicles. Photo: Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Truckmakers normally use the IAA Transportation, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle trade fairs, to showcase their latest models. In Hannover this year, however, the heads of Europe’s seven largest truck and bus manufacturers appeared together with a different message: the EU is demanding emissions cuts that, they argue, cannot be achieved under current conditions.

DAF, Daimler Truck, Ford Otosan, Iveco, MAN, Scania and Volvo are therefore calling for the 2030 CO₂ compliance deadline to be postponed by three years.

Under the current rules, manufacturers must cut the CO₂ emissions of their new vehicle fleets by 43% by 2030. The target rises to 64% by 2035 and 90% by 2040. Yet just 2.4% of newly registered heavy trucks in Europe are currently zero-emission. In Poland, Spain and Italy, the share is below 1%.

Manufacturers that miss the target face a penalty of €4,250 ($5,000) for every excess gram of CO₂ per tonne-kilometer, multiplied by the number of vehicles. According to calculations by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), falling just three percentage points short would already result in penalties of around €2.2bn ($2.6bn).

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The Trucks Are Ready. The Chargers Are Not

The manufacturers insist that supply is not the problem. According to the industry, electric and hydrogen-powered trucks are already available for all major applications. But transport companies are the ones that have to buy them, and their calculations are based on vehicle prices, electricity costs, range and downtime, not Brussels emissions targets.

“The investments have been made, and a broad range of CO₂-free vehicles is available today”, said Daimler Truck CEO Karin Rådström. Yet for haulage companies, she said, the switch still does not make economic sense because the necessary conditions are “clearly lagging behind”. A truck manufacturer can build a vehicle, but it cannot conjure up a connection to the power grid.

According to ACEA, there are fewer than 2,000 publicly accessible charging points suitable for trucks across Europe. At least 700 more would have to be installed every month until 2030. New charging hubs can wait several years for grid connections, while CO₂-based road tolls for trucks are effectively in place in just four member states.

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The Bill Ends Up at the Supermarket

Brussels did at least offer manufacturers some accounting relief in March. They will be able to accumulate emissions credits more easily until 2029, while the targets and penalties themselves remain unchanged.

If sales of zero-emission trucks remain low, however, manufacturers will sooner or later have to stimulate demand with steep discounts or pay billions to the EU. Either option costs money that will then be unavailable elsewhere. The next regular review is not scheduled until 2027, which is why the industry is now calling for the deadline to be postponed until 2033.

If the penalties are imposed, truckmakers will not bear the cost alone. They can cut investment or incorporate the additional expense into vehicle prices. Haulage companies then pay more for their trucks and pass the increase on through higher freight rates. Retailers and manufacturers, in turn, build those higher transport costs into the prices of their goods. The EU may collect the penalty from the truckmaker, but ultimately the bill ends up with the consumer at the supermarket checkout.