EU Parliament approves CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles

12 April 2024

The European Parliament approved a mandatory target to reduce CO₂ emissions from new trucks by 90% by 2040. The vote follows the provisional agreement reached in January 2024 with the EU Council.

The regulation, addressing emissions from new trucks over 7.5 tonnes, buses and trailers, was endorsed by MEPs with 341 votes in favor, 268 against and 14 abstentions.

CO₂ emissions from large trucks—including vocational vehicles, such as garbage trucks, tippers or concrete mixers—and buses will have to be reduced by 45% for the period 2030-2034, 65% for 2035-2039 and 90% as of 2040—compared to 2019 levels. By 2030, new urban buses will need to reduce their tailpipe emissions by 90% and become zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Emissions reduction targets are also set for trailers (7.5%) and semi-trailers (10%), starting from 2030.

The law requires the EU Commission to conduct a review of the effectiveness and impact of the new rules by 2027. This review will need to assess, among others, whether to apply the rules to small trucks, the role of a methodology for registering HDVs exclusively running on CO₂ neutral fuels and the role that a carbon correction factor (CCF)—a concept that would effectively provide CO₂ credits for the use of renewable fuels—could have in the transition towards zero-emission HDVs.

The EU Council still needs to formally approve the agreement before it can enter into force.

Heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for more than 25% of GHG emissions from road transport in the EU and account for over 6% of total EU GHG emissions.

Source: EU Parliament