December 12, 2018 Vol. 15 No. 24

It’s a painful memory, the way the Environmental Protection Agency hammered emissions controls into this industry without much regard, if any, to the limits of technology. Just do it, the EPA told manufacturers. Just suck up the cost, it told truck operators, all the while being a million percent off the mark in its estimates of the price to be paid. The cause was a good one, of course, and still is, but the method cost us billions of dollars and untold gallons of wasted fuel. And the technology engendered by successively more restrictive controls still doesn’t work as well as anyone would like.

Well, it looks like European truck operators are in for a similarly difficult time on the emissions front, though the challenge of meeting the European Union’s first truck CO2 standards will be even tougher for manufacturers. Not surprisingly, the industry is urging national governments to adopt a balanced and viable approach, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

The Association’s commercial vehicle members are DAF Trucks, Daimler Trucks, Iveco, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Volvo Group.

At a meeting of the EU Environment Council on December 20, the 28 member states are expected to adopt their position on the EU’s first CO2 standards for trucks. The CO2 reduction levels proposed by the European Commission in May – a drop of 15% in 2025 and then 30% in 2030 from present levels – set a path towards reaching the Paris Climate Agreement objectives. No matter what happens next, this will have a huge impact on the future of the heavy-duty vehicle industry, says the ACEA.

“THERE IS NO DOUBT that climate change is a fundamental challenge, requiring efforts to cut CO2 emissions from all sectors. The EU truck industry is fully committed to play its part,” said Joachim Drees, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus and chairman of ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board of Directors, at a press conference in Brussels last week.

“To this end, we urge member states to ensure that the right framework conditions are in place for this regulation. Providing the necessary recharging infrastructure, as well as incentives for early investments in new technologies and effective support for the market penetration of zero- and low-emission trucks will be key prerequisites to deliver on ambitious CO2 targets, and to encourage our customers to buy cleaner vehicles.”