That’s the call from Martin Lundstedt, commercial vehicle board chairman of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and CEO of Volvo Group.
Speaking at the IAA Show in Hanover yesterday (21 September), Lundstedt said the European Commission’s simulation tool Vecto is the most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions, as it models emissions from a variety of complete truck and trailer configurations using various heavy-duty cycles.
By contrast, he said, engine-only limit values for heavy-duty vehicles based upon one existing engine cycle make no sense. Although they may seem at first sight like a much simpler way forward, engine-only targets would not give the results that policymakers, society and customers want, Lundstedt argued.
“The market is diverse and complex. Trucks and buses are usually tailor-made to customers’ specific orders or are custom-built for a specific mission. Vecto can reflect that complexity, as it takes the variables into account that affect CO2 emissions, such as various usage patterns, vehicle configurations or different payloads. This will be a major game changer.”
He added: “Before setting the direction for future CO2 reduction policy, we first need to have a clear understanding of the baseline – Vecto is a necessary tool to close this knowledge gap.”
ACEA also welcomed an ERTICO study, launched yesterday, on the impact that intelligent transport systems (ITS) can have on further reducing CO2, as part of an integrated approach.
ACEA noted some of the most promising ITS applications highlighted in the study, including: a potential 3-10% CO2 reduction from driver behaviour and vehicle systems; a 10-20% reduction at local/urban logistics level, with delivery bookings and navigation; and a potential saving of 7% from use of intelligent traffic signals.
The ERTICO study, ‘The scope of Intelligent Transport Systems for reducing CO2 emissions and increasing safety of heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches’ is available on the link below.