In support of a letter sent to the EU by over 40 leading companies such as Nestle, Pepsico, and Nike, which called for more ambitious CO2 standards and a clear date for 100% of new trucks to be zero emission, HVS believes that setting carbon reduction targets alone is insufficient. To effectively achieve emissions reduction goals and accelerate the uptake of clean heavy goods vehicles, HVS proposes a series of policy measures, including carbon pricing through a carbon emissions price escalator on fossil-fuelled vehicles, making polluters pay for their emissions.

The suggested initiative involves gradually increasing the price of diesel based on a predetermined trajectory, which would incentivise the adoption of zero-emission and alternative fuel vehicles by making their total cost of ownership more favourable.Additionally, HVS advocates for EU-wide support for operators purchasing zero-emission vehicles based on their emissions from well to wheel, as well as the implementation of more comprehensive carbon-based road pricing scaled to carbon emissions. These policy levers would strengthen the economic case for early adoption and drive faster uptake of sustainable solutions, the company says.