Europe’s ICE truck ban in danger with new fuel loophole from EU Parliament
MEPs of the European Union voted to adopt strict new rules regarding emissions from trucking and busses today, seeking a 90% reduction in total fleet CO2 emissions by 2040 — but there’s a big loophole involved. While initial planning from the EU Commission sought to categorize effectively all ICE trucks and busses as CO2-emitting, the EU Parliament has other ideas.
Under the proposed rules adopted today, medium and heavy-duty trucks using biofuels and e-fuels will be exempt from fleet CO2 calculations, and in effect considered zero emission. Busses using biomethane will be similarly exempted. The change was adopted at the behest of more conservative ministers in Parliament, including those from the German CDU party. Their reasoning is, at best, duplicitous: Ministers in support claim not to want to take “green” fuel technologies under development off the table, but it’s plain that truck manufacturers and trucking interests are the key beneficiaries of such a change.
Biofuels (fuels derived from organic waste products, crops, or biomass decomposition) and e-fuels (synthetically manufactured replacements for gasoline and diesel) are deeply controversial in the context of sustainable transportation. While both theoretically come with far smaller carbon footprints than traditionally refined crude oil products (gas, diesel), both also mean vehicles that produce emissions.
Proponents of e-fuel argue that the production of such fuels is sustainable and carbon-neutral by design, because they use carbon capture and renewable-powered hydro-electrolysis to synthesize end compounds like e-methanol, e-kerosene, and e-methane. Biofuel, on the other hand, is a very squishy term — technically, hugely environmentally impactful practices like industrial-scale corn or sugar cane agriculture can be used to make biofuels. After all, they’re made from plants. But it’s not clear what the working definition of biofuels will be under the EU Parliament’s proposed rules or if sustainability requirements will be built in, so it’s possible naked greenwashing will be skirted. Biofuels derived from waste wood chip biomass or spent food oil are at least putting someone else’s trash to work. But, again, the end product must still be burned and thus produce some level of harmful emissions, particularly CO2.
The rules adopted by EU Parliament today are not binding, and must still be negotiated with the EU member state councils into final legislation. But it’s clear that there’s a substantial lobby pushing to keep ICE trucks on the road in Europe, and it’s all but certain that the truck manufacturers and many of their largest customers are pushing hard on this.
The rules, otherwise, are still far stricter than anything you’ll likely see the US adopt this century. By 2030, Europe is targeting a 45% reduction in fleet CO2 emissions for trucks and busses. By 2035, the target increases to 65%. Finally, in 2040, 90% reduction in fleet CO2 emissions must be achieved.
For more about the decision, check out the reporting over at Electrive and the EU Parliament’s press release.
Electrek’s take
The EU’s targets for fleet emissions reductions in trucking and bussing are admirable — on paper. 90% CO2 reduction for some of the biggest emitters on the road by 2040 is a seriously lofty goal. But when you put in a carve-out for e-fuels and biofuels (with the latter, again, being kind of fuzzy as a category), this mandate starts to lose some of its teeth.
For one, such an exemption all but guarantees massive investment in e-fuel and biofuel commercialization — an investment in continuing to produce vehicles that put CO2 and other harmful compounds directly into our atmosphere. Dress up the arithmetic any way you want, a truck belching e-fuel is putting a ton of CO2 back in the air. And biofuels are an even more complex topic, with some being far dirtier than others when weighing both production and end combustion.
Counterarguments about the growth sustainability of battery electric infrastructure and the struggles to commercialize true zero-emission fuels like hydrogen should be heard out, but nothing about this exception feels sourced from rigorous academic investigation into these topics. It sounds like trucking interests are just concerned they could be squeezed and disrupted by radically necessary action to preserve our biosphere and restore local and global air quality.
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Following approval from Transport Canada, EV startup Workhorse will be bringing the W56 and W750 model electric delivery vans to commercial truck dealers in Canada as early as this spring.
Workhorse first showed its W56 medium-duty electric truck at Indiana’s Work Truck Week in 2023, and has sold the trucks to logistics and delivery companies like FedEx and Pride Group – which ordered more than six thousand of the electric vans in 2021, and continues to expand its fleet.
“This is a major step forward for Workhorse,” says Josh Anderson, Workhorse’s chief technology officer in a press statement. “Pre-clearance from Transport Canada opens up a large new market for our products throughout Canada, including with fleets that operate across borders in North America.”
As part of the approval process, Workhorse completed its registration as a foreign manufacturer under Transport Canada’s Appendix G clearance program. Transport Canada confirmed the vans’ compliance with Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) for both vehicles – but it remains to be seen if and how the latest tariff-driven trade war between the Trump Administration’s US and Canada will impact Workhorse’s plans to expand throughout North America.
Despite that uncertainty, Workhorse execs remain upbeat. “We’re excited that our electric step vans can now reach Canadian roads and highways, providing reliable, zero-emission solutions that customers can depend on,” added Anderson.
Canadian pricing has yet to be announced.
Electrek’s Take
There’s no other way to say it: the Trump/Musk co-presidency is disrupting a lot of companies’ plans – and that’s especially true across North American borders. But in all this chaos and turmoil there undoubtedly lies opportunity, and it will be interesting to see who ends up on top.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Workhorse, via Electric Autonomy Canada.
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![Liebherr developing giant, 140-ton Segway-style autonomous haulers [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/operational-area-earth-moving-copy.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The new Liebherr S1 Vision 140-ton hauler is unlike any heavy haul truck currently on the market – primarily because the giant, self-propelled, single-axle autonomous bucket doesn’t look anything like any truck you’ve ever seen.
Liebherr says its latest heavy equipment concept was born from a desire to rethink truck design with a focus only on core functions. The resulting S1 Vision is primarily just a single axle with two powerful electric motors sending power to a pair of massive airless tires designed carry loads up to 131 tonnes (just over 140 tons).
The design enables rapid maintenance, as important components easily accessible for quick servicing. Wear parts can be replaced efficiently, and the electric drive significantly reduces maintenance work. This helps to minimise downtimes and increases operational efficiency.
LIEBHERR
Because of its versatility, durability, and ability to perform zero-turn maneuvers that other equipment simply can’t, the Liebherr S1 Vision can be adapted for various applications, including earthmoving, mining, and even agriculture. There’s also a nonzero chance of this technology finding applications supporting other on-site equipment through charging or fuel delivery.
The S1 accomplishes that trick safely with the help of an automatic load leveling system that ensures maximum stability, even on bumpy or rough terrain. The company says this technology significantly reduces the risk of tipping while providing smooth and secure operation across various environments.
Liebherr will show the S1 Vision at this year’s bauma equipment exhibition in Munich, Germany. The design has already been nominated for the bauma Innovation Award in the Mechanical Engineering category – and my money’s on it winning.
Electrek’s Take
This is such goofy, stupid fun that if it was wheelbarrow-sized I’d have three of them. I can’t imagine the insanity of watching one of these things roll across a job site with 100 tons of granite in the bucket – and will have nightmares about the kind of damage it could do if it flipped out like a poorly made Chinese hoverboard clone whipping a toddler across a living room … which, in fairness, would probably get a billion views on Instagram or TikTok or whatever.
I can’t wait.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Liebherr.
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The HD arm of Hyundai has just released the first official images of the new, battery-electric HX19e mini excavator – the first ever production electric excavator from the global South Korean manufacturer.
The HX19e will be the first all-electric asset to enter series production at Hyundai Construction Equipment, with manufacturing set to begin this April.
The new HX19e will be offered with either a 32 kWh or 40 kWh li-ion battery pack – which, according to Hyundai, is nearly double the capacity offered by its nearest competitor (pretty sure that’s not correct –Ed.). The 40kWh battery allows for up to 6 hours and 40 minutes of continuous operation between charges, with a break time top-up on delivering full shift usability.
Those batteries send power to a 13 kW (17.5 hp) electric motor that drives an open-center hydraulic system. Hyundai claims the system delivers job site performance that is at least equal to, if not better than, that of its diesel-powered HX19A mini excavator.
To that end, the Hyundai XH19e offers the same 16 kN bucket breakout force and a slightly higher 9.4 kN (just over 2100 lb-ft) dipper arm breakout force. The maximum digging depth is 7.6 feet, and the maximum digging reach is 12.9 feet. Hyundai will offer the new electric excavator with just four selectable options:
- enclosed cab vs. open canopy
- 32 or 40 kWh battery capacity
All HX19es will ship with a high standard specification that includes safety valves on the main boom, dipper arm, and dozer blade hydraulic cylinders, as well as two-way auxiliary hydraulic piping allows the machine to be used with a range of commercially available implements. The hydraulics needed to operate a quick coupler, LED booms lights, rotating beacons, an MP3 radio with USB connectivity, and an operator’s seat with mechanical suspension are also standard.
Like its counterparts at Volvo CE, the new Hyundai excavator uses automotive-style charging ports to take advantage of existing infrastructure at fleet depots and public charging stations. More detailed specifications, dimensions, and pricing should be announced by bauma.
Electrek’s Take
The ability to operate indoors, underground, or in environments like zoos and hospitals were keeping noise levels down is of critical importance to the success of an operation makes electric equipment assets like these coming from Hyundai a must-have for fleet operators and construction crews that hope to remain competitive in the face of ever-increasing noise regulations. The fact that these are cleaner, safer, and cheaper to operate is just icing on that cake.
SOURCE | IMAGES: HD Hyundai; via Construction Index, Equipment World.
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