Zero-Emission Trucks: Episode 5 – Keeping a sense of proportion
The fifth episode of the #ZeroEmissionTrucks video series brings together Markus Söder, Minister President of Bavaria, and Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO MAN Truck & Bus, to discuss what is needed to continue to get #ZeroEmissionTrucks on the road in cooperation with the EU institutions.
Truck manufacturers have already started or are finalising series production of their #ZeroEmissionTrucks. “This would have been unthinkable two to three years ago,” said Minister President Söder.
Manufacturers have invested unprecedented resources to deliver on their commitment to decarbonise the road transport sector. Yet, recent and upcoming regulations might hinder this process and risk diverting the industry from their decarbonisation trajectory. “What we need now is a sense of proportion and rationality. Otherwise, the industry will literally run out of air,” Minister President Söder warned.
“A sense of proportion and rationality is also something we need in long-term for innovations if we are talking about getting battery technologies to Europe, including the extraction of resources,” added Mr Vlaskamp.
“I think that aside from a Green Deal, we also need a real ‘Economic Deal’ that will advance us in research and technology,” Minister President Söder confirmed.
In order to make this transition possible, the right framework conditions must be put in place, and transport operators must be incentivised to embrace these new trucks. Decarbonising road freight transport requires more than just tightening CO2 targets for manufacturers. And here infrastructure is key. Söder: “We need a good infrastructure. That’s the only way to be successful.”
With the recently published Euro VII proposal, truck manufacturers would have to shift substantial resources from battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles back to the internal combustion engine.
“Nowadays we have a very modern Euro VI standard and yet still have half of the fleet of vehicles in Europe that are older than Euro VI. Now a new Euro VII is coming,” explained Mr Valskam.
“I think this is all happening too fast,” said Minister President Söder. “Especially due to the whole economy and energy crisis in Europe, we have to rethink many things. Energy costs are skyrocketing, production has become enormously challenging for all of Europe. So we do not need an extraordinary Euro VII yet, but rather a Euro VI with slight improvements,” Minister President Söder concluded.
The Euro VII proposal completely neglects the rapidly accelerating shift to zero-emission vehicles, and also ignores the effect of future CO2 targets for heavy-duty vehicles. Without tackling the older fleet, Euro 7/VII will have a marginal impact on road transport NOx emissions.
With the recently published Euro VII proposal, truck manufacturers would have to shift substantial resources from battery and fuel-cell electric vehicles back to the internal combustion engine.
