EU lawmakers today agreed targets for heavy-duty vehicles that will phase out almost all sales of new diesel trucks by 2040.

Manufacturers will have to cut the average emissions of new trucks by 45 per cent in 2030, 65 per cent in 2035 and 90 per cent in 2040.

Fedor Unterlohner, freight manager Transport & Environment (T&E) said said: “The EU is clearly telling truckmakers when almost all their vehicles will need to be zero emissions. [EU] producers now have a clear trajectory to ramp up production of electric and hydrogen rigs and be ready for the challenge of Tesla and Chinese rivals.”

EU governments and MEPs agreed that, from 2035, the targets will also apply to vocational vehicles such as garbage and construction trucks. T&E said this extension will result in an additional 7 per cent of the heavy-duty vehicle market being subject to CO2 targets.

T&E estimates the EU targets will result in around 30 per cent of trucks sold in 2030, and at least three-quarters in 2040, being zero emissions – electric or hydrogen.

Unterlohner concluded: “No stakeholder got everything they wanted, but the truth is this is a very balanced deal and positive news.”

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