Trucks

Is technology about to overcome the ‘too heavy to electrify’ obstacle?

The scientific literature remains sceptical about trucks becoming battery-operated due to the cost and weight of large battery packs. But that could change soon as costs of battery packs continues to fall, writes Björn Nykvist.

E-trucks: European automakers’ third and final chance to get electrification right

Have European manufacturers learned from developments in the car and bus markets? Or will American and Chinese companies lead the way to tomorrow's zero emission freight transport? Lucien Mathieu poses some tough questions ahead of a big decision by EU negotiators.

EU needs clean vehicle procurement rules to boost e-mobility in cities

Many European countries and cities have implemented measures to promote e-mobility. But to create scale in Europe, a constellation of disconnected initiatives is not enough to drive the needed change and action must be taken at a European level, writes Folker Franz.

Using legislation to reduce CO2 emissions from trucks

Europe’s upcoming CO2 standards for trucks will be the first of their kind. Policymakers need to build enough flexibility into the legislation so that manufacturers can adapt as the process and technologies evolve, writes Joachim Drees.

Why rewarding renewable fuels under the truck CO2 regulation would be a bad idea

It may sound like a good thing to reward advanced fuels. But doing it under the CO2 standards for heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) would not achieve this goal and would only end up weakening EU fuel efficiency standards, says Cristina Mestre.

Electric trucks are necessary and coming anyway

Electric trucks will come – and fast. More and more studies show that they are not only feasible to build, but also profitable to operate. And zero emission trucks will be needed to meet the Paris climate goals, write Stef Cornelis and Thomas Earl.

Stricter CO2 standards for vehicles are not the reason for job losses

Despite negative media reports, environmental regulation cannot be blamed for the coming upheavals in the automobile sector. Daniel Rieger explains.

Poland’s transport sector searches for top gear

The EU is rolling out more and more initiatives to boost e-mobility and the use of alternative fuels. Poland’s secretary of state for energy explains how his country is tackling the transport sector with an ambitious new plan.

Ambitious CO2 standards for trucks are good for businesses, and the climate

The starting point for truck emission rules must be cost-effectiveness, writes James Nix. But it will take tough standards to ensure R&D is deployed at scale on most vehicles, he argues.

How Europe can regain industrial championship in clean mobility

Chinese manufacturers have built an impressive production network in Europe and are winning pure electric car and bus tenders in cities like Turin, Amsterdam and London. In Europe, the Clean Vehicles Directive can help make up for the time lost, argues Claude Turmes.

Germany’s car industry monkey business

The revelation that German carmakers have tested diesel exhaust fumes on monkeys is just the most recent in an appalling catalogue of scandals in which the German auto industry has been embroiled, writes Greg Archer.

How do you put a price on trucks’ impact on society?

Hauliers claim that trucks are overpaying in taxes and charges compared to their impact on the environment and society. But the reality is that road transport is now Europe’s biggest climate problem, writes Samuel Kenny.

The end of multimodal transport?

As the EU moves into the era of "smart mobility", Dan Wolff wonders whatever happened to the idea of multimodal transport. Just because road freight innovates faster than other transport modes doesn't mean policymakers should give up on multimodality, he argues.

Four trends that could clean up road transport

The move towards autonomous vehicles, driven by the progressive electrification of transport, and backed up by road pricing schemes, all carry the potential of radically cleaning up Europe's transport system, writes Greg Archer.

Vans: Falling through the cracks of Europe’s transport policy

Light commercial vehicles are increasingly being used as a means to dodge social legislation and taxes, writes Samuel Kenny.

Where is the ‘road map’ for road transport?

Trucks produce a quarter of the EU’s transport emissions, yet their environmental performance remains unregulated. We need strict standards and a level the playing field for all modes of transport, writes Karima Delli.

Transport emissions: Progress in the slow lane

I crashed my car the other day: mounted the curb, hit a rock, bent a wheel, rolled noisily to a nearby garage. The experience was a wake-up call. The European Commission's approach to reducing road transport emissions could do with a similar shock, writes Chris Davies.

EU’s fanciful transport decarbonisation strategy

Europe seeks to stop the increase in transport GHG emissions with the wrong policies, writes Zoltán Szabó.

Are trucks taking their toll?

The European Commission should introduce truck tolls based on CO2 emissions as part of its 'Eurovignette' review this year, writes Samuel Kenny.

EU Commission is blinded by fake science

Much of the data on which the EU Commission bases its policy-making on reducing harmful emissions is fake, writes Dick Roche.

When it comes to cutting Europe’s CO2, trucks drive under the radar

Heavy duty vehicles account for a significant portion of CO2 emissions, and their impact is only supposed to increase. New measures must be adopted quickly in order to achieve climate goals, writes Carlos Calvo Ambel.