CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, supports the Paris Agreement and the EU Green Deal objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Automotive suppliers stand ready to contribute to a reliable, technology-open, and ambitious regulatory framework to achieve these objectives.
As an enabler of smart, safe and sustainable mobility, CLEPA is a key stakeholder in the automotive value chain and supports the review of the framework for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from heavy-duty vehicles in the European Union.
Freight transport is a B2B market driven by demand, which encompasses a broad range of use-cases and operator needs, requiring a wide array of affordable clean technology options. Currently, the European fleet is made of 6.2 million medium and trucks, and 684,285 buses.
The new legislation should account for the maturity and feasibility of technologies and provide a sufficient lead time for changes to be introduced. In this regard, a life cycle approach is essential to achieve overall atmospheric CO2 goals effectively, with one option being a mechanism to account for the contribution of low-carbon and carbon-neutral fuels.
Moreover, the introduction of a more ambitious 2030 target and 2035 targets necessitate higher Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) volumes, leading to additional uncertainty in fulfilling the enabling conditions and requiring far stronger policy intervention as well as further reduction in technology costs. In particular, the rollout of a dense network of charging and refuelling points, availability of renewable fuels, hydrogen, and electricity and raw materials supply chain are all key requisites for the success of the transition.
