The European Clean Trucking Alliance (ECTA) welcomes the Commission’s proposal to review the Weights and Dimensions (W&D) Directive, which aims to promote the uptake of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.
Additional weight limits for zero-emission trucks will ensure all long-haul routes can be served by zero-emission trucks without ever losing payload to their equivalent fossil-fuelled trucks. By guaranteeing zero-emission trucks outperform their diesel counterparts on all routes, the W&D Directive can stimulate their demand from actors in the freight and logistics sector, eager to deploy clean vehicles and contribute to achieving EU climate neutrality by 2050.
For zero-emission trucks to become a viable operational option both at national level and cross-border, ECTA supports a more ambitious approach in the following areas, and asks lawmakers to:
- Enable zero-emission trucks to fully utilise the 4-tonne weight allowance.
- Apply the zero-emission allowance not only cross-border but also within each member state.
- Adjust the increase in the weight of the zero-emission driving axle of trucks.