Belgium – According to the Financial Times, last month, 41 multinational companies including key users of truck operating companies like PepsiCo, Heineken and Nike wrote to the European Commission (EC) urging the European Union (EU) to adopt stricter emissions standards for trucks in order to push the adoption of zero-emission trucks for their fleet operations. The companies believe this will force manufacturers to increase production of zero-emission trucks and therefore bring down the price of these heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).

Currently, the EC is proposing new CO2 emissions targets for HDVs from 2030 onwards, proposing a mandatory 45% emissions reduction from 2030, a 65% emission reduction from 2035 and a 90% emissions reduction on all HDVs from 2040. In a letter to EU environment ministers, these enterprises are calling for a 65% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from heavy-duty vehicles by 2030, as opposed to the 45% (compared with emission levels in 2019) previously proposed. The multinationals have estimated that by raising the emissions reduction target to 65% from 45% will result in an additional 150,000 zero-emission trucks being sold and delivered in the next 18 months. The companies also called for a clear deadline for phasing out the production of fossil fuel-powered trucks. This puts added pressure on the EC as members are expected to finalise truck emission regulation targets by the end of 2024.