Rapid state action required to clean up road freight transport – study

The technologies required to drastically cut road freight emissions in Germany are readily available, but policies to incentivise the transition are urgently needed, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Franhofer ISI), the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (ifeu), and the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut). The institutes argue that ambitious efficiency standards for trucks, a tax reform geared to lower CO₂ emissions, and an infrastructure roll-out are necessary to kickstart the shift to alternative propulsion systems. Electric trucks using batteries and overhead lines are “particularly promising”, according to the study.

Find the press release and the study in German here.

Find plenty of background in the dossier How Germany is greening its growing freight sector to meet climate targets.