Europe's commercial vehicle manufacturers have delivered. Yet despite a growing number of emission-free trucks, the transition in heavy-duty transport remains clearly behind the European Union's targets. This is noted by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association ACEA in its latest report on the state of the framework conditions for heavy-duty vehicles.
Slow growth despite greater model variety
According to the association, European manufacturers now have a broad range of emission-free vehicles for nearly all applications—from urban distribution to long-haul. However, market development is progressing slowly. In the first half of 2025, the share of emission-free medium- and heavy-duty trucks among new registrations in the EU was only 3.6 percent. The year before, it was 2.1 percent.
According to ACEA, almost four out of five of these vehicles were registered in only five countries: Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and France. This concentrates sales on markets with comparatively favorable framework conditions. Switzerland and Norway, both not EU members, show that there are other ways. There, incentives and charging
infrastructure are more advanced, as reflected in higher registration figures.
Lack of infrastructure slows the ramp-up
To meet Europe’s climate targets, the report says, by 2030 around 400,000 emission-free trucks would have to be on Europe’s roads. That means: every third new vehicle in the heavy-duty segment would have to be powered electrically or by hydrogen by then. The market is far from that today—not least because the necessary charging and fueling infrastructure is still hardly available.
ACEA puts the number of publicly available charging points currently suitable for heavy trucks at around 1,100, with a capacity of 350 kilowatts and more. For nationwide coverage, however, about 50,000 such charging points would be required by the end of the decade, of which 35,000 would use the high-power Megawatt Charging System technology. In addition, at least 700 hydrogen refueling stations with a capacity of 6 tons per day would have to be established.
Although many charging sessions today occur at operating yards, for long-haul transport public and
semi-public charging points are indispensable, the association emphasizes. Without them, the switch to emission-free drivetrains in European freight transport cannot succeed.
Economics remains a hurdle
Besides infrastructure, the economics of the new propulsion systems are among the central challenges. While manufacturers offer vehicles that produce no emissions in operation, in many European markets these models are still more expensive than conventional diesel trucks, according to ACEA.
Since many heavy freight transport companies operate with razor-thin margins, the switch depends heavily on political and financial framework conditions.
“Without robust business cases in all segments, fleet operators will have difficulty switching,” says the report.
Policy measures such as CO₂-differentiated toll systems, tax incentives, and the planned Emissions Trading System ETS 2 could close the cost gap, but in many places they have not yet been implemented or are not sufficiently effective.
Lack of political policy direction
The association also sees a need for progress in European regulation. Several central political dossiers—for example the Directive on Weights and Dimensions,
the Energy Taxation Directive, and others—have so far shown too little progress, ACEA says. These delays further hinder the market acceptance of emission-free vehicles.
Overall, the report makes clear that European manufacturers have done their homework. They are delivering vehicles for all applications and markets. Yet the political and infrastructural prerequisites are not keeping pace with the industry's speed. ACEA fears that the EU will miss its 2030 targets if the missing prerequisites are not urgently addressed.
What this means for the transport sector
For companies in road freight transport, the situation remains ambivalent. On the one hand, new technologies are coming within reach; on the other hand, the conditions needed to deploy them economically are lacking. ACEA's report makes clear that for fleet operators it's not only about acquiring new vehicles, but about planning certainty: reliable energy prices, available charging infrastructure, and clear political guidelines. As long as these factors do not materialize, the decarbonisation of heavy-duty road transport remains an ambitious but still distant
