The first policy and business objective must be to ensure that the most used truck stops (top 10%) are equipped with appropriate alternative fuel infrastructure within the next five years.
On 1 September, the European Automobile Association (ACEA) and the European Secure Parking Organisation (ESPORG) jointly kick-started a series of workshops to discuss alternative fuel infrastructure for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The key message of the workshop is for all stakeholders to join forces and work together to advance the EU safe and secure truck parking agenda, whilst achieving the objective of equipping the 10% most utilised truck stops (including truck parking areas) in Europe with alternative fuels infrastructure within the next five years.
Dirk Penasse, ESPORG’s General Manager, said: “Now is the time to start building the infrastructure for HGVs alternative fuels. Our message to our members and partners is clear: ‘start digging and laying cables now’. To help them in the most efficient way, ESPORG will propose to its public and private partners to establish, already in September, a joint task force with the objective to collect the knowledge, which is currently scattered among a variety of stakeholders.”
Speakers for the workshop included MEP Vlad Gheorghe, as well as Thomas Fabian, Commercial Vehicles Director from ACEA, and Frederic Maas from ESPORG. They provided presentations regarding the current infrastructure, what is still needed in the transport industry, and some important considerations and challenges to take into account moving forward.
Thomas Fabian, Commercial Vehicles Director at ACEA, said: “Our main objective is to encourage our partners, both policy makers and businesses, to jointly focus on the number one priority, which is to ensure that charging and refuelling infrastructure does not become a bottleneck of the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Already by 2027, the top 10% most utilised locations in Europe, including truck parking areas, should be fully equipped with suitable chargers.”
A number of experts intervened during the debate: Hans Bevers from NomadPower, Wijnand van den Brink from Volvo Trucks, Raluca Marian from the International Road Transport Union (IRU), Marco Digioia from European Road Hauliers Association (UETR), Jörg Friedrichs from Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), and Peroline Cordonnier from Truck Etape Béziers (the winner of the European Best Truck Parking Award 2022) and Mike Sturgeon from ECG.
Download the presentations:
For more information, please contact ESPORG General Manager Dirk Penasse at d.penasse@esporg.eu or ACEA Commercial Vehicles Director Thomas Fabian, at tf@acea.auto .
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