Trucks and CO2 Archives

Transport is one of the EU’s few sectors where emissions are actually growing. Brussels believes that electric vehicle uptake is one of the main solutions to halt this trend but what steps are being taken to decarbonise our roads?

The European Union is starting to think in earnest about how to reduce the impact of transportation on the environment. But are plans to tackle a sector whose emissions continue to grow too strict or not ambitious enough?

The European Commission announced on Thursday (17 May) the launch of legal action against six member states accused of breaking air pollution limits. Three other polluters were put on notice for now.

CO2 emissions from trucks will be regulated under EU law for the first time as part of a package of new rules that also aims to increase efficiency and improve road safety.

The Netherlands have called on Europe to aim high on emissions standards for trucks and cars, ahead of a much-anticipated proposal from the European Commission today (17 May), which will impose CO2 targets on trucks for the first time.

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.

The automotive industry is warning that an EU proposal set to be adopted on Wednesday (16 May) does not give enough lead time before limits will be required. But the US and China have had limits in place for several years.

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.

Coaches, buses and lorries are responsible for a quarter of CO2 emissions from transport. Soon, manufacturers will have to provide data on CO2 emissions and fuel consumption performance of their new vehicles. EURACTIV’s partner le JDLE reports.

Just as Europe is engaging in a fierce race to electrify transport, makers of natural gas vehicles are coming out with bullish projections, saying they expect their car fleet in Europe to multiply tenfold to 13 million vehicles in 2030 – a 10% market share that could reach 20-30% for trucks and buses.

One of Germany’s top courts has ruled that heavily polluting vehicles can be banned from the urban centres of Stuttgart and Düsseldorf, a landmark ruling which could cause traffic chaos on the country’s roads and dramatically hit the value of diesel cars.

The European Parliament could pass a law on the compulsory replacement of the Eurovignette, by a system of tolls, despite the reluctance of Member States. EURACTIV.fr reports

The coalition agreement between the German Conservatives and the Social Democrats outlines a relatively ambitious energy policy. EURACTIV’s partner Le Journal de l’environnement reports.

Since 1990, the production of "green" electricity in Germany has increased by 1,000% and export rates, according to preliminary data for 2017, just smashed another record. EURACTIV Poland’s partner WysokieNapiecie.pl reports.

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.

EU member state ambassadors struck a deal Friday (15 December) on monitoring and reporting rules for CO2 emissions applying to trucks, opening the way for negotiations with the European Parliament to finalise the law next year.

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday (8 November) a legislative package aimed at reducing CO2 emissions in road transport and encouraging the uptake of electric cars, in an attempt to help Europe's car industry remain competitive in the face of growing pressure from the US and China.

The European Commission will unveil a package of legislation regulating environmental aspects of transport on Wednesday (8 November), amid concerns from NGOs and some MEPs that it may lack ambition in setting targets for the car industry.

European countries spend more than €112 billion per year subsidising oil, gas and coal production or consumption – including tax breaks on highly-polluting diesel – despite a pledge to phase out fossil fuels completely by 2020.

Swedish truckmaker Scania was hit with an €880 million fine by the EU on Wednesday (27 September) for taking part in a 14-year price fixing cartel, boosting the total fine for the firms involved to a record €3.8 billion.

The car sector is keeping EU Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska busy. In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV, the Polish official spoke frankly about carmaker responsibility following the Dieselgate scandal, how to deal with Uber and how Brussels-Warsaw relations might not improve.

Trucks could be much more fuel efficient and save hauliers €5,700 a year if they used technology that is already available, according to a new report by sustainable transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) released on Tuesday (26 September).

A lot is at stake for the energy security of Europe if political correctness was to dictate imposing one technology against the other, John Cooper, Director General of FuelsEurope told EURACTIV.com.

The British government has given the go-ahead for the first trials of convoys of semi-automated trucks on UK motorways.