ETRMA backs new HDV emissions regs

Brussels  – The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association has welcomed a new EU legislative move, which it believes will support suppliers of higher-performance tires for heavy duty vehicles (HDVs).

The European Parliament’s approval, on 12 June, of regulations for the Monitoring and Reporting of CO2 Emissions from Heavy Duty Vehicles has bolstered the legislative framework on HDVs, said ETRMA.

To date, this framework comprises the Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculation Tool (VECTO) Regulation, the Monitoring and Reporting Regulation and the HDVs CO2 Standards recently published by the European Commission as part of the third Mobility Package.

As of 1 Jan 2019, all new HDVs placed on the market will need to be accompanied by CO2 certificates including for OE tires.  A certified rolling resistance coefficient will now also need to be reported and included in a central register for data on heavy duty vehicles.

This, according to the ETRMA, will enable the creation of full market transparency on HDVs’ performance with regard to CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

For HDVs, it noted, this is the first time that EU legislation is focusing on CO2 emissions, but for tires this has been a reality since 2012 with the implementation of the tire label with ratings for fuel consumption, wet grip and external rolling noise.

The European tire industry has taken yet another step to make a fundamental contribution to low emission mobility, according to Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary general of the ETRMA.

“Tires already were the most regulated part of the vehicle and we hope that this further step will help the shift of purchasing decisions from price to performance, not just of the vehicles, but of tires as well,” she commented.

And, concluded Cinaralp, “as other pieces of legislation are currently being discussed to promote more fuel-efficient and safer vehicles, for instance through public procurement and road user charging, it is the hope of the industry that best-graded tires will also be considered and supported.”