The European Clean Trucking Alliance (ECTA) welcomes the planned revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive as a complementary piece to the decarbonisation of road freight transport alongside ambitious CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles, both being key tools to drive the transformation towards zero-emission road freight transport.
An ambitious revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive will further build the case for ambitious CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles. For actors in the freight and logistics sector, eager to deploy clean and future-proof vehicles for all their operations and herewith contribute to the EU’s climate targets, this is key to guarantee that zero-emission freight vehicles can outperform on an operational level their equivalent diesel vehicles.
The current weight allowance of 2 tonnes for zero-emission drive trains allows zero-emission trucks (ZETs) already today to carry battery packs which are powerful enough to be used for urban and regional deliveries, making ZETs an effective, cost-competitive, and ready technology for various operations today. Yet, some additional weight allowance is needed to unlock long-distance zero-emission trucking.
The European Commission in its proposal should focus on:
- The total vehicle weight for long-distance ZETs should be temporarily increased.
- A temporary increase of drive axle weight to zero-emission drivetrains, with mitigating conditions and phase-out timeframes.
- Harmonize cross-border traffic for zero-emission trucks to the lowest allowed vehicle weight between neighbouring countries.
- Assess the need for a length extension for zero-emission vehicles.