To meet the climate targets for road transport, the EU should impose a stop to the sale of polluting trucks by 2035

The study specifies that if trucks and buses represent only 2% of vehicles on the road, however, are responsible 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions from road transport in Europe. In addition, the document specifies that the growth of the circulation of heavy goods vehicles, the emissions of which have increased by over a quarter from 1990 to 2019, does not appear destined to stop, and, according to the forecasts of the European Commission, between 2020 and 2050 truck activity is expected to register a further increase of +44%, while in the same period that of buses should even mark a + 72%. The study also points out how heavy vehicles burn huge amounts of oil, with trucks and buses currently consuming 42% diesel used by road transport in the EU.

According to T&E, stop sales of new products as early as 2030 heavy goods vehicles powered by fossil fuels would represent the safest option for the climate, but - specify the document - the extent of the required transformations could determine too severe industrial impacts. Therefore, according to the model developed by T&E, the stop to sales of this type of heavy vehicles in 2035 represents the most sustainable and practicable so that the European Union, consistent with its objectives, can achieve zeroing of emissions from road freight transport in 2050. If from 2035 all heavy vehicles sold were zero emissions - explains T&E - to remain in business after 2050 would be only a small number of diesel vehicles, moreover on average more old of the average life cycle of these means that in Europe is of 18 years, so destined shortly to go out anyway from the market.

T&E points out that postponing that deadline would mean act too late, while fixing the end of marketing of new polluting vehicles by 2040 would result in the emission additional 644 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere compared to to the 2035 scenario. A surplus of emissions, remarks the ratio, which would be equal to 4% of the remaining overall budget of the EU carbon, equivalent to the sum of annual emissions from road transport of Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Poland. In addition, a stop of new heavy vehicles powered by fossil fuels by 2040 would result, ten years later, a circulating fleet still composed for a fifth from diesel vehicles and this - notes T&E - would put legislators in a position to take measures drastic and expensive just to eliminate that residual 20% pollutant of the fleet.

The study also notes that the EU's ambitious targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions already by 2030 would be more in line with manufacturers' commitments to electrification of motor vehicles have already hired and that in this way support and incentivise technological improvement of the heavy goods vehicle industry. The document notes that in the scenario to 2035 zero-emission trucks on the road in 2030 on European roads there would be 659,000, a number consistent with the announcements of the main industrial players in the sector. At it by the end of the decade, a diesel savings equal to 9% of the consumption of the sector.

Finally, T&E's analysis finds that the standards currently in force for 2025 and 2030 are too unambitious and not allow the achievement of a sufficient reduction in the emissions, which at the end of the decade would exceed by 32% 1990 levels. Zero-emission trucks on the road ROADS OF THE EU and the UNITED KINGDOM would be just 161,000 in 2030, or 74% less than what is already expected today by the Builders.