Call for joint action by all stake-holders in Europe
At a press summit of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) in Hanover on September 23, the CEOs of Europe’s truck manufacturing companies laid out their recommendations for reducing CO2 emissions from the road transport sector.
Speaking to journalists at 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 per cent over the period 2005-2020, or at an annual rate of 1.3 per cent. This was backed up by a study conducted by the independent research institute, Transport & Mobility Leuven (TML), of 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 Mr. 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 TML study quantify for the first time the potential of such an integrated approach for the period 2014-2020 as follows: 6 per cent reduction for vehicle-related measures across the entire fleet, 2.5 per cent reduction through alternative fuels, and 13 per cent reduction through operations. This translates into a more than 20 per cent cut in CO2 emissions from the road transport sector over the next six years, or an annual reduction rate of 3.5 per cent.
“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 per cent to an average of 3.5 per cent,” 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 were Mr. Harrie Schippers, President, DAF Trucks, Mr. Pierre Lahutte, Brand President, Iveco, Mr. Anders Nielsen, CEO, MAN Truck & Bus, Mr. Martin Lundstedt, CEO and President, Scania, as well as Mr. Erik Jonnaert, Secretary General of ACEA.