Technical Standards

Scope

To regulate the CO₂ emissions of heavy-duty trucks, the European Commission introduced a new segmentation for N2 and N3 freight vehicles. Regulation (EU) 2017/2400 defines the vehicle groups as the following:

The current CO₂ emission standards for new heavy-duty vehicles apply to vehicle groups 4, 5, 9, and 10. This corresponds to all rigid and tractor trucks with a 4×2 axle configuration that exceed 16 metric tonnes of technically permissible maximum laden mass, and all rigid and tractor trucks with a 6×2 axle configuration. Vehicles not used for the delivery of goods, referred to as vocational vehicles, are excluded from the scope of the CO₂ standards.

For the CO₂ standards categorization, regulated vehicle groups are divided into sub-groups to account for their different use profiles, such as urban delivery (UD), regional delivery (RD), or long-haul (LH). The sub-group segmentation is based on the cabin type and by engine power:

Targets and implementation timeline

The CO₂ standards set binding CO₂ targets from 2025 onwards. The reduction targets are defined relative to a fixed baseline. The implementation timeline is divided into three periods, each with different regulatory stringencies:

For any given year, the reporting period includes vehicles registered from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

Baseline

The baseline emissions are defined for each vehicle sub-group based on data resulting from the monitoring and reporting regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/956) from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 and are equal for all manufacturers. The baseline CO₂ emissions for each sub-group will be made publicly available by the European Commission by April 30, 2021.

Metric

The CO₂ standards follow a tank-to-wheel approach, addressing only the tailpipe CO₂ emissions of regulated vehicle groups. For each manufacturer, the CO₂ emissions are regulated on a fleet-wide basis through a metric dubbed average specific CO₂ emissions, expressed in grams of CO₂ per tonne-km (gCO₂/t-km).

The average specific CO₂ emissions of a manufacturer are a function of the certified CO₂ emissions of each new heavy-duty vehicle over a combination of drive cycles and payloads, the number of vehicles registered in each sub-group, the mileage and payload weighting (MPW) factors, and the zero- and low-emission vehicle factor.

The CO₂ certification procedure, Regulation (EU) 2017/2400, is the starting point for the determination of average specific CO₂ emissions of a manufacturer. Depending on the vehicle group, the certification procedure provides the CO₂ emissions over a set of different driving cycles, also called mission profiles, at both reference and low payloads. The reference and low payloads depend on the vehicle group and the mission profile. The CO₂ standards regulation also establishes a set of weighting factors for the cycles and payloads to determine the CO₂ emissions of each vehicle for the calculation of the average specific emissions of a manufacturer.

The mileage and payload weighting (MPW) factors are used to reflect the difference in freight activity between vehicle sub-groups. The MPW factor is defined as the product of the typical vehicle mileage and average payload in the sub-group, normalized by the freight activity of sub-group 5-LH, which has the highest freight activity:

Incentives for zero- and low-emission vehicles

The CO₂ standards include incentives for accelerating the development and adoption of zero- and low-emission heavy-duty vehicles (ZEVs and LEVs). A vehicle is considered an LEV if its CO₂ emissions are less than half of the baseline CO₂ emissions of its respective sub-group.

The zero- and low-emission heavy-duty vehicles (ZLEV) incentives have two well-defined phases. From 2019 to 2024, a super-credit scheme was adopted. From 2025 onwards, a bonus-only benchmark applies.

The incentives are implemented via the ZLEV factor, which multiplies the average specific CO₂ emissions of a manufacturer. The ZLEV factor is capped at a minimum of 0.97. That is, the ZLEV incentives can only reduce the average emissions of a manufacturer by a maximum of 3%. The two phases include the following details:

Super-credits phase (2019–2024)

In the super-credits phase, ZLEVs are counted as more than one vehicle in the calculation of the average CO2 emissions of a manufacturer. ZEVs, which are certified with 0 gCO₂/km, are double counted in the averaging set. LEVs are counted as up to 2 vehicles, depending on their CO₂ emissions. For example, a LEV with CO₂ emissions 75% lower than the sub-group’s baseline would count as 1.5 vehicles.

Benchmark phase (2025 onwards)

In the benchmark phase, manufacturers are only rewarded by the sale of ZLEVs after a sales benchmark of 2% has been met. If the benchmark is not achieved, there are no negative consequences. LEVs count towards the benchmark with a value between 0 and 1, depending on their CO₂ emissions. For example, a LEV with CO₂ emissions 75% lower than the sub-group’s baseline would count as 0.5 in the ZLEV sales share calculation.

Compliance flexibilities

Manufacturers are allowed to accumulate CO₂ emissions credits and debts during specific periods of time. The credit-debt accounting, expressed in gCO₂/t-km, is proportional to the number of vehicle registrations under the scope of the regulation produced by the manufacturer. Credits and debts are not transferable between manufacturers.

Starting in 2019 and through 2024, manufacturers are allowed to accumulate early-credits. These early-credits are generated once the manufacturer’s average CO₂ emissions are below a certain threshold, called the CO₂ reduction trajectory, defined as a linear function between the baseline CO₂ emissions and the 2025 emissions target. The early-credits can only be used for compliance in 2025 and are not valid thereafter. There are no implications if a manufacturer’s average CO₂ emissions are above the CO₂ reduction trajectory during this period, meaning no debt is accumulated.

From 2025 to 2029, manufacturers can generate credits if the manufacturer’s average CO₂ emissions are below the linear CO₂ reduction trajectory between the 2025 and 2030 emissions targets. During this period, manufacturers accumulate debt if their average CO₂ emissions are above the respective CO₂ target. If the average emissions of a manufacturer lie between the mandatory target and the CO₂ reduction trajectory, neither credits nor debts are generated. Emissions credits can only be used for compliance up to 2029 and any emission debts must be resolved by then. From 2025 to 2029, if the accumulated debt exceeds a given threshold, the manufacturer is required to pay a per-vehicle penalty of €4,250 per vehicle for each gCO₂/t-km of excess emissions.

Compliance in 2030 and thereafter is evaluated each year without the application of past credits or accumulated debt. Excess CO₂ emissions above the target would result in immediate financial penalties. From 2030 onwards, the penalty amounts to €6,800 per vehicle for each gCO₂/t-km of excess emissions. Extending the credit-debt scheme to the post-2030 period, including the immediate financial penalties, will be reassessed in the 2022 regulation review:

CO₂ certification procedure

Due to the existing diversity of configurations in the heavy-duty sector and the associated testing efforts, carrying out CO₂ certifications in the same fashion as passenger and light commercial vehicles is not viable. A simulation-based approach has therefore been selected for the determination of both the CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption of HDVs.

The backbone of the CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption certification procedure is the Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculation Tool (VECTO), a publicly available, open source, downloadable, and executable software. The CO₂ certification regulation establishes the input parameters to the simulation tool and also outlines the details for performance data measurement of vehicle components with significant impacts on the CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles. The current components to be tested, forming VECTO’s input data, are shown in the table below. They are also detailed here:

VECTO is currently being expanded to also include vans, buses, and hybrid and electric vehicles. The set of input data required for VECTO certification is, therefore, expected to expand in the future.