The European Union has officially relaxed interim carbon dioxide emissions rules for heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers, a move that clean transport think tank International Council on Clean Transportation warned could significantly reduce electric truck adoption across Europe.
The changes entered into force following publication of the amendment to Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 in the Official Journal of the EU.
See also: ICCT Study: Europe to Require Up to 5,300 Megawatt Chargers for Electric Trucks by 2030
Under existing EU climate rules, manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles must reduce average CO2 emissions from new trucks by 15% by 2025, 45% by 2030, 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2040 compared with 2019 levels.
Truck manufacturers are expected to meet those targets primarily through increased deployment of battery-electric trucks and improvements in the efficiency of combustion-engine vehicles.
While the long-term targets remain unchanged, the EU has now introduced greater flexibility for the period between 2025 and 2029.
Previously, manufacturers were expected to follow a linear annual reduction pathway between target years. Under the revised rules, the 15% reduction target originally set for 2025 will remain applicable through 2029.
See also: ICCT: Europe’s EV Transition Accelerates, CO₂ Targets Within Reach
The adjustment allows manufacturers exceeding the 15% threshold during those years to accumulate emissions credits that can later be used toward compliance with the stricter 2030 target.
For example, a manufacturer achieving a 22% emissions reduction in 2027 would previously have fallen below the expected linear pathway for that year. Under the revised framework, however, the company can now bank the additional reductions above the 15% threshold as credits.
The European Commission said the changes were intended to reflect slower-than-expected deployment of public charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles across Europe, which it said has affected demand for electric trucks.
The ICCT criticised the policy adjustment, warning that the revised mechanism could significantly slow the transition to zero-emission freight transport.
See also: Battery Electric Cars Emit 73% Less Than Gasoline Vehicles in Europe, ICCT Finds
According to forecasts from the organisation, the changes could result in approximately 200,000 fewer electric trucks being sold in the EU over the next decade compared with earlier expectations.
The ICCT said the market share of electric trucks in new registrations could fall to 16% by 2030 under the revised rules, compared with a previous projection of 32%.
The think tank also warned that the ability to carry emissions credits beyond 2030 could continue affecting electric truck adoption rates into the following decade.
“Such a walk back in ambition is concerning as it falls at a time that we see diesel prices soaring to new highs across the continent,” Eamonn Mulholland, heavy-duty vehicle expert at the ICCT, said in a statement.
“Having fewer ZE trucks to choose from locks in our continued oil dependence,” Mulholland added.
