The invisible killer on Europe’s roads
A T&E briefing analyses how tackling truck pollution will save lives and money.
The European Parliament and Council should use the trilogue negotiations on the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) CO2 standards to extend the scope to small and vocational trucks. This would reduce air pollution from HDVs by an additional 6 percentage points (87% vs. 81%) by 2050 compared to the Commission proposal and would save €15 billion in health costs.
- Over 400,000 people died prematurely in 2020 in the EU due to air pollution. Trucks and buses are responsible for 25% of it.
- Extending the CO2 standards to urban delivery, garbage and construction trucks – which drive around in our cities every day – would save as much nitrogen oxides (NOX) by 2050 as getting 16 million polluting cars off the road.
- Keeping small and vocational trucks exempt from the HDV CO2 standards would cost EU taxpayers almost as much as the entire GDP of Malta (€15 billion) by 2050.
To read the full analysis, download the briefing.
Related Articles
View All
Letter
IRU and T&E call for EU framework to unlock semi-private truck charging
Letter
European businesses in the transport sector call for EU to maintain stability and ambition on decarbonising heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs)
“Don’t weaken CO2 standards for trucks”, European businesses urge the EU, as they signal strong demand for electric
Report
Are electric trucks cheaper to operate than diesel?
A new T&E analysis looking at major truck markets in the EU