That’s the call from ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, which presented its case at an event in Brussels yesterday (7 May).
High-capacity vehicles (HCVs) should be allowed to travel on dedicated parts of the EU road network, says ACEA, and it has published a paper (click the link below) showing how three HCVs can replace six regular trucks, cutting CO2 emissions by 27%.
ACEA says HCVs will provide a cost-effective means of coping with the growing demand for freight transport while keeping carbon emissions in check – without having to modify or extend Europe’s existing road infrastructure.
“In order to allow the benefits of high-capacity vehicles to be felt right across the entire EU, we urge policymakers to enable the introduction of a high-capacity transport system across borders,” said Erik Jonnaert, ACEA’s secretary general.
ACEA also points out that types of HCV (called European modular system combinations) are permitted to operate in some EU countries, and their use has reduced emissions.