Nestlé and Ikea are among a group of companies and NGOs calling for tighter fuel efficiency standards for new trucks.
In an open letter sent to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker they warned that current testing procedures do not go far enough to meet the 2030 climate targets.
“… despite progress on reducing pollutant emissions (thanks to the EURO-standards), new truck fuel consumption has remained stable for almost two decades. We do not believe that introducing a truck CO2 test procedure and monitoring truck CO2 emissions would be sufficient to kick start the market for ultra-fuel efficient trucks in Europe.”
Instead, Europe should follow Japan, China and the US, all of which have “successfully introduced fuel economy regulation for trucks”.
The group urged Juncker to use the upcoming “decarbonisation of transport communication” to commit to the introduction of fuel efficiency standards for new trucks and trailers and to make a proposal to introduce standards “within the next two years”.
Though trucks make up less than 5% of all vehicles on the road, they are responsible for 25% of road transport’s fuel use and carbon emissions.
