On 11^th of July, the European Commission published the Greening Transport Package, in an effort to update the rules concerning commercial heavy-duty transport and rail operations. In particular, the package includes the revision of the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic for heavy-duty vehicles, also known as the Weights and Dimensions Directive.

Hydrogen Europe welcomes the new proposal and the provisions for the increased weight limit for zero emission trucks being set at 44 tonnes as this will provide significant support to the uptake of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles in commercial freight operations.

“Higher weight limits, additional axle loads and larger dimensions for zero emission heavy-duty vehicles will surely give more options for future development to vehicle manufacturers, encourage fleet operators to switch to hydrogen trucks and buses, thus contributing to lowering of GHG emissions from road transport. Hydrogen powered heavy-duty vehicles will become even more attractive to transport companies as new lighter and smaller powertrains mean more payload and better TCO parity with fossil fuelled vehicles.” said Darko Levicar, Director for Mobility at Hydrogen Europe.

Hydrogen Europe stands ready to engage with all stakeholders to constructively work on the text. Together with other associations, we would also like to stress that it is imperative that progress is made swiftly to remove barriers in the Weights & Dimensions framework that may hinder the market adoption of zero-emission trucks and buses.

For more information:

• Press conference by Commissioner Vălean on Commission proposals for more efficient and sustainable freight
• European Commission press corner: Green Deal: Greening freight for more economic gain with less environmental impact
• Joint letter calling co-legislators for swift progress on Weight & Dimension Directive revision