Swedish Truck Manufacturers Seek to Ease EU CO2 Targets Amid Challenges from China

In a significant development affecting Europe's automotive industry, major truck manufacturers including Sweden's Scania and Volvo Trucks, alongside MAN, Daimler, Iveco, and Ford, have formally requested the European Commission to relax the stringent CO2 emission reduction target set for heavy vehicles by 2030. Currently, manufacturers aim for a 43% reduction compared to 2019 levels, but the letter, signed by Scania's CEO Christian Levin in October, highlights the risk of hefty fines if electric truck sales do not dramatically increase to between 34-40% by 2030. This is a stark contrast to current electric truck sales at just about 1.1-1.2% for major Swedish manufacturers. The call for easing targets comes amid concerns over the adequacy of charging infrastructure and the high cost of electric trucks, which are currently two to three times more expensive than diesel counterparts. Volvo's Claes Eliasson emphasized the need to expand charging networks, while Scania's Emilia Käck stressed the importance of policies to reduce costs and boost electric truck production volumes. Critics, including Stef Cornelis from the green think tank Transport and Environment, warned that relaxing these targets could undermine climate ambitions and delay Europe's transition to electric vehicles, additionally ceding competitive ground to China, where 30% of trucks are already electric. Despite challenges, both Scania and Volvo reaffirm their commitment to environmental goals but acknowledge the difficulty in keeping pace with China's accelerated electric truck adoption. The scale of these manufacturers also underlines their importance to the Swedish economy and employment market, intensifying the debate on balancing climate targets with industrial competitiveness.