Fearing the future: EU pollution regulations will cost Daimler a billion euros in fines
Daimler's heavy vehicle division faces a potential one-billion-euro fine due to upcoming 2030 EU emission standards. CEO Karin Radstrom cites a critical lack of charging infrastructure as the main obstacle.
The heavy vehicle division of the Daimler concern is expected to pay a billion euros in air pollution fines if the European Union does not change the air pollution regulations for heavy vehicles that will come into effect in 2030, announced Daimler Truck CEO Karin Radstrom.
Daimler Truck includes Mercedes-Benz trucks, Freightliner, Western Star, the bus company Setra, and the truck manufacturer FUSO. Today, Mercedes-Benz holds 35% of Daimler Truck.
Regarding trucks and heavy vehicles, the European Union is pursuing a policy similar to that applied to passenger cars, meaning that for every vehicle manufacturer, an average emission level of pollutants is set that its vehicles must meet. If the vehicles do not meet the average, the manufacturer is fined.
The pollution standard for trucks that will come into effect in 2030 requires a reduction of about 45% in the average amounts of pollutants emitted by trucks. The only way to lower this average is to use electric trucks or hydrogen-powered trucks.
According to documents from ACEA, the umbrella organization of vehicle manufacturers in Europe, in order to meet the requirements for reducing pollutants demanded by the European Union, heavy vehicle manufacturers will need to sell at least 400,000 electric trucks in Europe by 2030. In addition, authorities in Europe will need to deploy at least 50,000 dedicated fast-charging stations for heavy vehicles.
According to Radstrom, considering the current situation of Daimler's truck division, the company will not meet the target and will therefore be fined in the amount of about a billion euros.
«The problem is not the development of electric trucks, but rather the infrastructure», — stated Radstrom.
Mercedes-Benz is currently considered dominant in this market segment in Europe, holding 38% of the total electric truck market volume on the continent, although electric trucks currently account for only about 6% of total truck sales in Europe.
