Energy efficiency certificate required from trailer manufacturers
In 2022, the EU adopted new truck regulations that will come into force in July 2024. According to the approved document, it will be necessary to obtain an energy efficiency certificate for trailers and semi-trailers. In addition, from the beginning of 2024, truck manufacturers will have to provide information on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption.
The EU regulation stipulates that manufacturers must provide customers with all the necessary information via a special code. The certificate assesses how much the trailer has reduced (or increased) emissions. It is based on the performance of the vehicle.
VECTO truck energy analysis tool
To calculate emission dynamics, a special tool has been developed, VECTO, which analyses the energy consumption of trucks. This tool allows precise determination of a vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions. VECTO is a tool for use on a specific vehicle type. It works with the data provided by the vehicle’s system. For example, the tool takes the fuel consumption figure recorded on the dynamometer during the vehicle test.
Under current regulations, most new truck configurations must use VECTO. In this case, fuel consumption and emissions data must be submitted before registering the vehicle in the EU. Initially, the rule only applied to N2 and N3 vehicles. However, it will soon also apply to O3 and O4 vehicles. The latter group consists of trailers and semi-trailers with a maximum of three axles. These trucks also have a body and weigh more than 8 tonnes.
The EU is striving to meet climate goals and is tightening regulations on the transport sector. The European Parliament wants to cut carbon dioxide emissions from new cars by 90% by 2024. This will help achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
To implement these plans, the EU authorities intend to introduce various programmes to support innovative solutions in the trucking sector. In addition, the authorities want to increase investment in the development and production of environmentally friendly vehicles. The EU wants to bring measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from trucks to a region-wide level, as individual initiatives in different countries are not enough. The government, therefore, intends to tighten regulations for the transport sector. This will primarily affect the production of new vehicles, which will have to emit less CO2 than older trucks.
