Three major European truck brands are high up in this sustainability study that evaluates brands’ readiness to transition to zero-emissions sales.
A recent study by Transport & Environment has revealed that heavy vehicle brands Scania, Mercedes-Benz and MAN are the only European truck brands on track to decarbonise their operations.
Alongside Tesla and BYD, the three European truckmakers dominate the new global ranking that evaluates brands’ readiness to transition to zero-emissions sales.
The study revealed that only Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Scania and MAN aim to sell only electric or hydrogen fuel-cell trucks by 2040, with the study by Transport & Environment warning that four major manufacturers risk falling behind in the decarbonisation race.
Scania tops the list with a zero-emissions readiness score of 86.8, with Mercedes-Benz (84.5) and MAN (75.1) in the top four.
The likes of Irizar (64.7), Lion Electric (64.1), Tevva (63), Volvo Trucks (62.4) and Volta (61.4) are all in the next middle bracket.
However, it then falls, with Renault Trucks (53.3), IVECO (44.1), Freightliner (44), Foton (43.6), Mack (35.3) and Volvo Trucks US (33.7) on the lower end of the scale.
However, in the very bottom percentile is DAF (24.4), Kenworth (18.9), Peterbilt (17.8) and Sinotruk (16.1).
Transport & Environment says Volvo Trucks may have committed to a 70 per cent zero-emissions sales target by 2030, but it lacks a 100 per cent zero-emissions sales target.
“European truckmakers all claim to be green, but the reality is less than half of them are on track to go to zero-emissions and only via voluntary commitments,” Transport & Environment freight director Sofie Defour says.
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“There’s a huge gap in the truck industry between manufacturers with a plan to fully decarbonise and those without. The EU needs strong truck CO2 standards to bring the whole European industry up to speed.”
Defour says the leading European truck manufacturers face competition from the likes of Tesla and BYD, who are also high in rankings in the study.
Transport & Environment is using the study’s results to call for an elevation of zero-emissions decarbonisation goals in the EU for truckmakers and manufacturers.