The invisible killer on Europe’s roads

The invisible killer on Europe’s roads

Transport & Environment — 2024-01-15

Land transportation

The European Parliament and Council should use the trilogue negotiations on the Heavy-Duty Vehicle (HDV) Carbon Dioxide standards to extend the scope to small and vocational trucks. This would reduce air pollution from Heavy-Duty Vehicles by an additional 6% points (87% vs. 81%) by 2050 compared to the Commission proposal and would save €15 bn in health costs.

1. Over 400,000 people died prematurely in 2020 in the EU due to air pollution. Trucks and buses are responsible for 25% of it.
2. Extending the Carbon Dioxide 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 m polluting cars off the road.
3. 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 bn) by 2050.

To read the full analysis, download the briefing.