Newly produced trucks will have to determine and declare their CO2 emissions and fuel consumption from January 1 2019.

The European Commission (EC) says this will increase transparency around the fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles in the EU.

Emissions from lorries, buses and coaches, which are the most widely representative categories of heavy-duty vehicles, currently represent around 25 % of road transport CO2 emissions and are expected to increase even further in the future, report the EC.

In order to reach the target of a 60% reduction of CO2 emissions from transport by 2050, effective measures to curb emissions from heavy-duty vehicles need to be introduced, it says.

However, until now, no common method has been laid down by EU legislation to measure CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles, rendering it impossible to objectively compare performance of vehicles or to introduce measures, whether at EU or national level, that would encourage the introduction of more energy-efficient vehicles.

As a consequence, there has been no transparency in the market as regards the energy-efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles, says the Commission.

It has conducted an in-depth analysis of the available options to measure CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of those vehicles and concluded that in order to obtain unique data for each produced vehicle at the lowest cost, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles should be determined using simulation software.

The Commission says it will use the vehicle energy consumption calculation tool (VECTO) – a simulation tool developed for the purpose of determining and declaring CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles.

The new regulation lays down provisions for the certification of truck components, with an impact on CO2 emissions and the fuel consumption of vehicles (engines, gearboxes and torque converting components, axles, body, tyres and auxiliaries).

Furthermore, it lays down requirements for EU countries and manufacturers to approve and verify the conformity of components and the simulation process.

Further information on the new regulations, can be found here.