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European Commission proposes new CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles

14 February 2023

Today, the European Commission proposed strengthened CO2 emission targets for new heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) from 2030, in line with the European Green Deal and REPowerEU objectives.

The Commission proposed phasing-in stronger average CO2 emission standards for almost all new HDVs with certified CO2 emissions, compared to 2019 levels, specifically:

The Commission also proposed to make all new city buses zero-emission as of 2030.

The current HDV emission standards adopted in 2019 are “no longer in line with the EU’s climate objectives,” said the Commission. The current regulation sets a 15% emission reduction target for selected HDV categories from 2025 and a 30% reduction target from 2030.

To support the proposal, investments need to be channeled into zero-emission vehicles and into the recharging and refueling infrastructure, and the Commission has already proposed the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation to develop the necessary charging infrastructure. In particular, the Commission proposed to install charging and fueling points at regular intervals on major highways: every 60 km for electric charging and every 150 km for hydrogen refueling.

Trucks, city buses, and long-distance buses are responsible for over 6% of total EU GHG emissions and more than 25% of GHG emissions from road transport. 99% of heavy-duty vehicles in the EU fleet currently run on internal combustion engines, powered largely by diesel fuel.

Source: European Commission