EP COMMITTEES RULE OUT MANDATORY TRUCK FLEET TARGETS UNDER CLEAN CORPORATE VEHICLES PROPOSAL
CLECAT welcomes the position adopted on 04 November by the European Parliament’s Environment (ENVI) and Transport (TRAN) Committees on the proposed Clean Corporate Vehicles Regulation marking an important step towards a more pragmatic and flexible approach to road transport decarbonisation.
The Committees kept heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) outside the scope of the proposal and deleted the reference in recital 9 to considering measures for corporate truck fleets during the next review of HDV CO₂ standards. For cars and vans, they backed aspirational national targets for 2030 and 2035 in place of the Commission’s proposed binding targets. These targets would apply to the share of zero- and low-emission vehicles in new corporate registrations by large undertakings. Member States would choose how to encourage uptake and set out their measures in national plans from 2028.
CLECAT urged MEPs to keep trucks outside the scope and address the barriers that determine whether logistics companies can invest in cleaner fleets. For operators serving long-distance and cross-border routes, suitable vehicles need to be available for the loads they carry and charging and refuelling need to be available where they operate. Even where electric vehicles are suitable, long waits for grid connections, high electricity prices, and limited access to financing can delay fleet renewal.
CLECAT therefore welcomes the Committees’ recognition of the need for charging and refuelling at company premises, at depots, and along commercial routes, and the link with the forthcoming review of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). CLECAT has called for EU infrastructure funding to support depot electrification, including grid connections and on-site energy storage.
CLECAT also called for technology-neutral incentives that support viable ways to cut emissions from light commercial vehicles. National flexibility should go hand in hand with a consistent EU framework so that operators working across borders can avoid fragmented rules and unnecessary company-level reporting. Smaller operators also need protection from indirect costs when fleet requirements are passed down through subcontracting. CLECAT further called for the exclusion of civilian vehicles designated for military mobility operations from the Regulation’s scope, a recommendation that MEPs followed in their adopted position.
The vote establishes the joint Committees’ position. A plenary vote is expected in December to set Parliament’s position for negotiations with the Council.