Reducing CO2 Emissions from Heavy Duty Vehicles (Communication)

There are currently no standardised measurement procedures in the EU for CO2 emissions from Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDVs) nor are there any provisions on their reduction. The Commission wants, on the one hand, the data on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from newly registered HDVs, collected by way of a simulation instrument (VECTO), to be made available to vehicle purchasers. On the other hand, it is considering two measures for reducing CO2: mandatory limits on CO2 for newly registered HDVs or the inclusion of road transport in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). In this regard, the Commission prefers the introduction of CO2 limits.

 

 

 

cepPolicyBrief

The collection and submission of VECTO data for all HDVs enables, for the first time, a comparison between the individual vehicle models of the HDV-manufacturers, the respective technologies for fuel consumption and the different vehicle platforms. The claim that price increases can be set off against savings in fuel consumption is untenable: no-one knows the exact level of additional cost to all vehicle manufacturers resulting from CO2 limits. The fact, criticised by the Commission, that the nature of the EU-ETS results in CO2 reduction in those areas where it can be most cost effectively achieved, is not in fact an argument for but an argument against CO2 limits: it is precisely for this reason that the EU ETS should be extended to include road transport.