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CLECAT’s Road Logistics Institute met for the second time this month to discuss the Fit for 55 proposals on an ETS for road transport and the revision of the alternative infrastructure rules (AFIR). The European Commission aims to cut road transport emissions by 90 percent by mid-century — key to its effort to become climate neutral by 2050. But getting there means a huge increase in the number of charging points for electric vehicles, as well as developing alternatives like hydrogen. CLECAT, as a member of the European Clean Truck Association, is supporting the call for binding targets for charging infrastructure for each country and for the whole transport networks. But members still have many questions that will need to be answered. What other changes are necessary to help heavy vehicles go electric? Who is responsible for setting up the infrastructure and is there sufficient access to funding? What is the role of hydrogen in the meantime?

CLECAT also welcomes the intentions of the European Commission to amend the “EU-ETS” Directive to create a new EU-ETS for road transport, adjacent to the existing system, which will put a price on emissions from the building and the road transport sectors. However, a proper integration with already existing schemes at national level, such as in Germany, is important to avoid double charging of CO2 emissions.

Also, the ETS for road transport should ensure that revenues from the auctioning of allowances is ringfenced and reinvested towards the road freight transport sector, to allow for the uptake of investments into low and zero-emission road freight transport technologies. Without securing the funding for these much-needed investments, and clear and explicit targets, there is a risk of insufficient funding in support of zero emission trucking.