IRU members have today adopted a new position on CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles, following a successful EU conference yesterday on Fit for 55.
The annual IRU EU Conference, which took place yesterday in Brussels, brought together hundreds of EU decision makers, mobility and logistics leaders, and representatives from industry and non-governmental organisations to discuss two crucial questions on the road ahead for the European Commission’s Fit for 55 package.
The first panel debated EU readiness in rolling out alternative fuel infrastructure. The second panel looked at the need for incentives to support the industry’s transition, with particular attention on taxation and charges, and in light of recent dramatic increase in fuel prices.
The IRU EU Conference was followed by a meeting of IRU members that adopted a new position on CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The position notably calls for EU support for the long-term use of three technology pillars: hydrogen fuel cell, battery-electric and carbon-neutral renewable transport fuels in combustion engines.
Raluca Marian, IRU’s EU Advocacy Director, said, “Decarbonising transport without the road segment is inconceivable. Success, however, depends on the availability of alternatively fuelled vehicles and of electrical power and new fuels, such as hydrogen and carbon neutral fuels.
“The revision of EU CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles can boost decarbonisation efforts providing it sends the right signals to the market. IRU’s position on CO2 standards for trucks, buses and coaches indicates what these signals need to be.”