Today (14^th February), the European Commission published a proposed revision to Regulation (EU) 2019/1242, setting CO2 performance standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).

Hydrogen Europe welcomes the latest proposal, and a new, broader definition that allows a wider range of hydrogen powertrain propulsion systems for use in the decarbonisation of the multi-faceted commercial transport sector.

Darko Levicar, Director of Mobility Policy at Hydrogen Europe, said: “The revised CO2 Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty vehicles will be a major incentive for the scale up of hydrogen-powered solutions in the European commercial road transport fleet. Hydrogen powertrains are very well placed to meet operational requirements in a wide range of use cases.”

“To support the ongoing efforts to lower CO2 emissions from the road transport sector, we must give all technologies that can contribute a chance to do so. Member States should foster a market in which commercial vehicle operators have multiple ways to transition away from fossil fuels. This will benefit the environment and the European economy,” he added.

Road transport is responsible for one fifth of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. Under the proposed rules, heavy vehicles will be mandated to reduce their emissions by 45% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. Meanwhile city buses will have to be zero emission by 2030. These targets strike an acceptable balance between ambition and feasibility. Stringent reduction targets will support the efforts made by the European automotive industry to transition towards zero emission operations.

Hydrogen Europe estimates that at least 50,000 hydrogen trucks will be in commercial operation in EU27 by the end of the decade (click here for more info). We would like to emphasize the link between this new proposal and the ongoing works on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure throughout Europe in the revised Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR): a dense hydrogen refuelling network must be in place in time to enable mass rollout of hydrogen-powered trucks, buses and coaches.