Truckmakers push back 2030 climate goal

Europe's leading truck manufacturers have urged the European Union to delay the 2030 emissions targets for heavy vehicles by three years, citing a scarcity of charging stations and high energy costs as reasons that zero-emission trucks are currently uneconomical for buyers. The CEOs of seven major European truck and bus manufacturers, including DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Iveco, and Scania, made this appeal on Monday, according to Reuters.

Under current EU regulations, manufacturers must reduce CO2 emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles by 43% by 2030 compared to 2025 levels, with targets of 64% by 2035 and 90% by 2040, with penalties for non-compliance. Manufacturers can offset these reductions using emission credits earned between 2025 and 2029, but the industry asserts that this allowance will not suffice to meet the 2030 target.

Presently, only 2.4% of new heavy-duty vehicles registered in the EU are zero-emission, far below the 2030 requirement, as stated by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). This gap aligns with ACEA's projections from October 2025, which predict a tenfold increase in zero-emission truck sales within five years, from 3.6% to at least 35%, to remain compliant.

Industry estimates from a Brussels event earlier this year suggest the EU may need approximately 400,000 electric trucks on its roads by 2030, along with thousands of public chargers, to achieve its climate goals.

The truckmakers' call for a delay comes after months of advocacy, during which they have highlighted the discrepancy between their compliance deadlines and the pace of charging infrastructure development. Scania and Traton CEO Christian Levin, who also chairs ACEA's Commercial Vehicle Committee, stated in December that the industry faces around €2 billion in fines annually if the rules are not eased, and that car manufacturers have already received similar flexibility, which heavy-vehicle manufacturers have not been granted.

Environmental group Transport & Environment has also criticized these requests, estimating that earlier concessions granted to truckmakers could reduce zero-emission truck sales by up to 27% by 2030. Meanwhile, EU policymakers are debating a European Commission proposal to lift the bloc's ban on new combustion-engine cars from 2035, following pressure from the broader automotive sector to ease its green transition rules.