European Union countries have given their final approval this morning to a law to cut carbon dioxide emissions from trucks, which will require most new heavy-duty vehicles sold in the EU from 2040 to be emissions-free.
The law will enforce a 90% cut in CO2 emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. That means manufacturers will have to sell a large share of fully CO2-free trucks – including electric vehicles and those running on hydrogen fuel - to offset any remaining sales of new CO2-emitting vehicles in 2040.
Most trucks on Europe's roads currently run on diesel, which produces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants linked to lung cancer and respiratory diseases. Heavy-duty vehicles produce a quarter of Europe's road transport emissions.
Truck manufacturers will also have to reduce the CO2 emissions of their fleets by 45% by 2030 - replacing an existing 30% target - and 65% by 2035.
From 2030, 90% of new urban buses sold in the EU will be required to have zero emissions, rising to 100% in 2035.
European autos group ACEA has described the EU policy as the world's most ambitious, and said the targets will only be met if governments match them with a rapid roll-out of 50,000truck-suitable public electric charging points by 2030.
EU countries approve law to slash CO2 emissions of trucks
European Union countries have given their final approval this morning to a law to cut carbon dioxide emissions from trucks, which will require most new heavy-duty vehicles sold in the EU from 2040 to be emissions-free.
