During a press summit of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) in Hanover today, CEOs of Europe’s truck manufacturers laid out their industry’s recommendations for reducing CO2 emissions from the road transport sector.
Speaking to journalists during the IAA Commercial Vehicle Motor Show, the CEOs confirmed that they were on track with their ‘Vision 20-20’ to reduce fuel consumption from new vehicles by 20% over the period 2005-2020, or at an annual rate of 1.3%. This was backed-up today by a study conducted by the independent research institute, Transport & Mobility Leuven (TML) from Belgium.
However, the industry advocated a far more ambitious future approach to CO2 reductions. “There is much more than new vehicles alone that determine CO2 emissions,” explained Wolfgang Bernhard, CEO of Daimler Trucks and Chair of ACEA’s Commercial Vehicle Board. “Trailer designs, alternative fuels, transport operations and infrastructure also play a decisive role. All relevant stakeholders should be mobilised to work on a fully integrated approach to CO2 reduction in Europe’s transport industry.”
Data from the new TML study quantify for the first time the potential of such an integrated approach for the period 2014-2020 as follows: 6% reduction for vehicle-related measures across the entire fleet; 2.5% reduction through alternative fuels; and 13% reduction through operations. This translates into a more than 20% cut in CO2 emissions from the road transport sector over the next six years, or an annual reduction rate of 3.5%.
“This means that if we move from a ‘new vehicle only’ approach to a fully integrated approach, we could more than double the annual CO2 reduction rate from our industry, going from 1.3% to an average of 3.5%,” stated Mr Bernhard. “This is the best way to unlock our full potential to reduce CO2 emissions on Europe’s streets.” Speaking alongside Mr Bernhard today were Harrie Schippers, President, DAF Trucks; Pierre Lahutte, Brand President, Iveco ; Anders Nielsen, CEO, MAN Truck & Bus; Martin Lundstedt, CEO and President, Scania; as well as Erik Jonnaert, Secretary General of ACEA.
