Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU takes aim at China with new clean bus plan

EU takes aim at China with new clean bus plan

Chinese companies control about a third of the EU’s electric bus market, and Brussels wants European manufacturers to up their game.

The European Commission is mulling mandating that all new city buses sold by 2030 be zero-emissions — and the target is aimed as much at Beijing as it is at meeting the bloc's climate goals.

The bus provision would be part of a broader review of emission standards for trucks and other big vehicles that is expected to land February 14, according to an internal agenda document seen by POLITICO.

Chinese bus manufacturers are gaining a growing share of the EU market, helped by that country's rapid electrification of transport and its domination of global battery supply chains. Zero-emissions buses have about a third of the EU and U.K. bus markets, and Chinese companies control about 30 percent of that, according to an estimate by Chatrou CME Solutions, a consultancy.

By setting an early green bus target, the aim is to spur European companies to move faster, according to two officials briefed on the Commission's thinking.

The heavy transport standards are a follow-up to legislation that bans the sale of new combustion engine-installed cars and vans from 2035, which has now been agreed and only needs a formal sign-off.

Legislating for clean city buses even earlier would put the EU roughly on track with California, which plans a 2029 phaseout for new gasoline and diesel bus sales. It would also align with what Europe’s big vehicle makers are already thinking: The likes of Volvo, Daimler and MAN have committed to selling many more electric buses by the end of the decade.

“This is where the market is already heading,” said Fedor Unterlohner, who works on clean vehicles at green lobby Transport & Environment and backs an even earlier 2027 green bus-maker law. “It’s locking in what the industry is already doing.”

A group of European cities including Copenhagen, Hamburg, Milan, Paris, Rotterdam and Seville have also called for a 2027 phaseout.


All aboard the green express


Chinese companies, such as Yutong and BYD or joint ventures with European manufacturers, have been setting their sights on the Continent's city depots and cobbled streets.

Zhengzhou-based Yutong says its e-buses are already on the road in 21 European cities, including in parts of Denmark, France and Slovakia, while BYD, which is headquartered in Shenzhen, has signed deals to send its vehicles to Spain, Finland, Hungary and the Netherlands among other places.

Transport executives say the possible Commission plan is aimed both at getting European manufacturers to make more e-buses as well as pushing local authorities to go electric, a job partly done by the Clean Vehicles Directive that sets procurement targets for local governments.

"We have had electric buses on the market for years," said one executive from a European manufacturer. "It’s a question of public authorities making the shift. We are talking about cities."

The new rules would amp up existing heavy vehicle greenhouse gas legislation agreed in 2018 as the EU’s first standards for such vehicles. The Commission reckons trucks, buses and coaches combined account for around a quarter of CO2 emissions from the transport sector — and those greenhouse gases have to be cut for the bloc to reach its climate targets.

Emissions from freight are on the rise thanks to a boom in e-commerce over the last decade, while efforts to get people to abandon their cars and switch to buses are expected to drive up the total kilometers traveled by mass transit vehicles.

The Commission is looking at ways to eventually end the sale of new diesel and gasoline-powered trucks, but the thinking is that such a measure would only start to apply by around 2040 — so a move to mandate clean buses by 2030 would change that market a decade earlier.

Publicly, the industry is cautioning against any rapid ban of internal combustion engines — known as ICE.

Manufacturers are against a "general ICE phase-out date or the setting of a 100 percent target because internal combustion engines, powered by fossil-free fuels, will continue to play an important long-term role in a small, but important range of heavy-duty applications," according to a letter to Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans signed by Volvo's CEO Martin Lundstedt, also commercial vehicles chairman with industry lobby ACEA.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×