At the initiative of the Netherlands, eleven countries agreed at the climate summit in Glasgow that from 2040 all new trucks and buses must be emission-free. In addition to the Netherlands, Turkey, Uruguay, Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom are taking part.
Part of the plan is that by 2030, 30 percent of all newly sold trucks and buses will not emit CO2 and that by 2050 all trucks and buses that do emit CO2 will have disappeared from the road. The countries are now going to make policy to achieve the agreed objectives. The idea is that they work together, exchange knowledge and report annually on progress.
at a price
“This agreement is a good start”, says State Secretary Van Weyenberg of Infrastructure and Water Management. “We have already agreed in the climate agreement that we want all road traffic to be clean by 2050. It is important to go for this together with other countries, so that the market develops faster.” He calls on countries that are not yet participating to join the initiative.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, electric trucks are still expensive and many transport companies are hesitant about the price. A scheme for subsidies for an electric or hydrogen truck is being worked on.
‘Ambitious but feasible’
“This is an ambitious, but feasible scenario,” says Auke Hoekstra, researcher electric mobility at Eindhoven University of Technology. “I have been calling for about five years that electric trucks will become possible and self-evident, but it is very satisfying to see that it is now being said by the Dutch government.”
According to him, the arrival of many electric trucks has major consequences for the charging infrastructure in the Netherlands. Electric trucks have much larger batteries than electric cars. And to charge it somewhat quickly, you need a lot more electricity.
“In terms of technology, this is not unheard of. But for network operators it is quite a puzzle to install sufficient charging capacity at, for example, service areas for trucks. Fortunately, the Netherlands is leading the way in developing charging infrastructure.”
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