We must accelerate the energy transition of road transport. This is the ambition of the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, who indicated that the aid dedicated to this project would be increased and clarified in 2024. Speaking after a visit to the Lyon transport fair, Solutrans, this On Tuesday, he nevertheless refrained from providing further details.
“ We will mobilize more resources (and must) give more visibility on multi-annual aid, with levels of support guaranteed over time. “, underlined the minister.
“ Here we have fundamental solutions for French and European decarbonization. », underlined the minister while road transport (heavy goods vehicle and utility vehicles) represented 41% of transport emissions in general in 2019.
Toughened standards
The government is therefore seeking to unlock this industry. To do this, he requested “ suggestions » to professionals in order to simplify the systems. If the transition to electric cars remains complicated, “ we have the opportunity in utility and industrial vehicles to successfully achieve the electrification of the market », argued the minister.
HAS On the scale of the Old Continent, EU member countries adopted tougher pollution standards at the end of September. This aims to reduce emissions by 39% by 2035 for buses and trucks, compared to the standards in place since 2014. Retrofit, a solution “ complementary “, should make it possible to accelerate the additional depreciation devices which existed for new vehicles and which will be extended to used vehicles converted to electric (a ” retrofit “).
The issue is crucial: trucks, buses and coaches generate more than 6% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, a quarter of road transport emissions. Last February, the European Commission unveiled its proposals to tackle it – the same day MEPs endorsed the end of sales of new cars with thermal engines in 2035.
According to Brussels’ initial legislative project, emissions from heavy vehicles sold from 2030 should be reduced by at least 45% compared to 2019, then lowered by 65% in 2035 and 90% in 2040.
An inevitable transition
For heavy goods vehicles, which run on diesel or gasoline, the shift towards electric or hydrogen (fuel cells or modified combustion engines) appears inevitable. The German Daimler and the Swedish Volvo will mass produce hydrogen fuel cells for trucks from 2025. And the world’s number one truck manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, recently presented its first long-distance electric truck model.
It’s about a ” industrial Revolution ”, coupled with a “ formidable challenge » what the production of electricity or green hydrogen represents to power this decarbonized fleet, recognizes Brussels. The Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) is putting on the brakes, expressing alarm at “ unrealizable ambitions » without sufficient infrastructure and strong purchasing incentives.
According to her, the 2030 objective would represent more than 400,000 zero-emission trucks on the roads, requiring some 700 hydrogen recharging stations and 50,000 suitable public electric recharging points, infrastructure which is almost entirely lacking. “ Decarbonization is not a solo endeavor. Customers must have confidence » to acquire these vehicles, underlined Sigrid de Vries, general director of ACEA.
(With AFP)
