European truck manufacturers want to avoid CO2 emissions legislation from the European Commission.
The president of the commercial vehicle division of the European vehicle manufacturers trade association, ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeens d’Automobile), and chief executive of Daimler trucks, Andreas Renschler, told Automobilwoche that massive investment is needed in infrastructure to encourage economic growth and that because of rising transport volumes, the only way to avoid high levels of emissions is to avoid traffic jams.
He said that this investment should not just apply to roads but also to river traffic and to train capacity, as well as to improving connectivity between different modes.
Daimler also defended trucks in terms of their contribution to climate change. He said that a fully laden 40 tonne truck emits 35g CO2 per tonne-km, which makes it more environmentally-friendly than inland shipping or train.
Renschler said that if trucking became more expensive then other modes would have to take over. However, he said that trucks are more flexible and save time. He said that legislation would impact economic growth and the “the politicians must decide if they want mobility or if they want to go back to the stone age.”
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