The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is calling for an urgent review of the EU’s heavy-duty vehicle CO₂ framework, arguing that the enabling conditions required for the 2030 targets remain years behind schedule.
Under current rules, manufacturers must achieve a 43% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030, rising to 64% by 2035 and 90% by 2040. Yet zero-emission trucks represented only 2.0% of EU heavy-duty truck registrations in 2025, according to ACEA.
The industry says the central problem is increasingly systemic. Dedicated truck charging and hydrogen infrastructure remains insufficient, grid connections are slow, energy costs remain high and the total cost of ownership of zero-emission trucks is still difficult to justify across many transport applications.
ACEA argues that Europe needs its regulatory timetable to be aligned with progress in these enabling conditions. It is urging faster infrastructure deployment, stronger demand-side measures and an accelerated review of the CO₂ regulation.
Why It Matters:
Europe has moved rapidly on zero-emission truck technology. The emerging bottleneck is the ecosystem around the vehicle. Unless infrastructure, energy economics and fleet business cases catch up, regulatory ambition could outpace market readiness.
