Tailpipe CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles have increase on average 2.2% annually since 2000. Trucks account for more than 80% of this growth. Vehicle efficiency standards, together with efforts to improve logistics and operational efficiency, are needed to slow growing emissions.
A range of strategies can help to slow the growth of emissions from trucks and buses.
The first step is to establish vehicle efficiency and CO2 emissions standards for HDVs. China, India, Japan, and the European Union have all established or extended existing standards, and Brazil, Mexico and South Korea are in various stages of developing policies as well.
Green Freight Programmes, which promote business and operational efficiency as well as efficient technologies and best practices, can complement such standards by provide further incentives for excellence in operational and technical efficiency.
Finally, while urban buses are primed to continue to be of the great success stories of rapid EV market uptake, finding alternatives to diesel in heavier truck segments will require dedicated policy efforts. Charting viable alternatives to diesel for heavy-duty trucks with regional and long-haul missions, which account for three-quarters of heavy-duty vehicle fuel consumption, will be particularly challenging.
Last updated Jun 16, 2020
Key findings
CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles in the Sustainable Development Scenario, 2000-2030
Momentum has been growing around policy coverage for heavy-duty vehicles
Emissions from trucks and buses have risen by around 2.6% annually since 2000. While policy coverage for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) still lags behind that for cars and vans, momentum has been growing. With new policies adopted in India in 2018, and with benchmarking for the EU HDV CO2 standards beginning in July 2019, an estimated 70% of HDVs sold worldwide in 2019 were in markets that had fuel economy and CO2 emissions standards in place, compared with less than 50% in 2016. To achieve the SDS, more countries must adopt standards – and existing ones must become more comprehensive and stringent. Green freight programmes, which track and promote efficient truck operations and technologies, can help fleets and owners/operators spread best practices and share information. In urban settings, rapid electrification (especially of buses, but increasingly also of medium- and heavy-duty trucks) will help.