Road transport coalition calls for stronger green infrastructure in EU
May 11, 2022
The International Road Transport Union (IRU), the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Transport & Environment (T&E) and Hydrogen Europe (HE) have signed a joint letter to EU leaders which urgently calls on Member States and Members of European Parliament to set ambitious and timely targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in the European Union.
The organisations have expressed concerns that targets set in the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR) may be substantially weakened during the legislative process. Lowering the ambition – especially in terms of timing – could lead to a significant setback in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal.
“Battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles are already beginning to hit the market, with increasingly wider offerings also for long-haul operations expected soon. Therefore, it is crucial to have ambitious mandatory TEN-T targets from 2025 at the latest. Targets should also be extended to safe and secure parking areas from 2025 onwards,” the letter outlined.
It continued: “Equally important, hydrogen refuelling stations have to be fully deployed along both the TEN-T core and comprehensive road networks with sufficient minimum daily capacities by meeting the AFIR targets at the latest by 2030, while ensuring that the pre-2030 ambition matches the roll-out of hydrogen-fuelled heavy-duty vehicles in the second half of this decade.”
The joint letter is available, in full, here.
