autoevolution
 

Seven Major European Semi-Truck Brands Agree To Phase Out Diesel By 2040

Little did he know back then, but Rudolf Diesel revolutionized personal and commercial transportation with his compression-ignition engine patent from the 1890s. The world’s first series-built diesel truck debuted at the commercial vehicle show in Amsterdam in 1924; fast forward to 2020 and truck-making companies intend to switch to batteries and hydrogen.
Volvo Concept Truck 8 photos
Photo: Volvo
Volvo Concept Truck - 2017 versionVolvo Concept Truck - 2017 versionVolvo Concept Truck - 2017 versionVolvo Concept Truck - 2017 versionVolvo Concept Truck - 2016 versionVolvo Concept Truck - 2016 versionVolvo Concept Truck - 2016 version
Working with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research under the umbrella of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), seven major semi-truck manufacturers have jointly agreed to end the sale of diesel-engined heavy haulers by the year 2040. MAN, DAF, Iveco, SAAB Scania, Daimler AG (a.k.a. Mercedes-Benz), Ford, and Volvo are the culprits.

According to the ACEA automotive association, the zero-emissions alliance has called for the European Union to increase its carbon tax. Why, you may be wondering? As politicians continue to subsidize fossil fuels, this policy makes it impossible to convince fleet operators and private customers to drop diesel in favor of BEVs as well as hydrogen fuel cells.

“If road freight transport is to maintain its role in serving society, we need to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible,” said Henrik Henriksson, chair of the commercial vehicle board of ACEA and head honcho of SAAB Scania. “Not only are we convinced that it is necessary, we know it is possible and we are ready to make it happen. But we cannot do it alone; we need policymakers and stakeholders to join forces with us.”

There is, however, another problem that needs to be highlighted. The roll-out of charging stations will demand great efforts from everyone involved in this project, and I’m not holding my breath in this regard. Even though EVs are increasingly popular, the charging infrastructure leaves much to be desired in the United States, the Old Continent, and Asian markets.

Speaking of Asia, the Land of the Rising Sun has taken it upon itself to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Japan intends to make FCVs more popular than BEVs, but only time will tell if hydrogen will prove to be the winning ticket.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)

 Download: ACEA - all new trucks sold must be fossil free by 2040 (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories