The Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) requests more tax aid from the Administration to meet Brussels’ decarbonization objectives in terms of heavy vehicles. This is how they manifest it in the in the Industrial Vehicle and Bus Roadmap 2024-2026 that they will present to the Government. The document includes eight measures, one transversal and seven priority areas of action to advance the decarbonization objectives set by the European Union, while maintaining the competitiveness of the transport sector. The employers advocate for greater involvement of the administrations and greater economic support to achieve the orderly transformation of the sector and drive the market towards decarbonization. “The Roadmap that we present today proposes measures that are realistic in their application and in their benefits, measures that take into account the diversity of uses, because decarbonizing last-mile passenger and freight transportation is not the same as long-haul transportation.” ”, underlined the general director of Anfac, José López-Tafall.
In this sense, the general director of Anfac has highlighted that these are necessary measures to comply with the market quotas set by Brussels. “Currently, zero-emission vehicles account for just over 1%,” he adds. In the coming years, this transition towards decarbonization will be carried out with fuels that coexist, such as biomethane and, later, green hydrogen. “There is a habit of associating decarbonization with electrification and it is true in tourism but not in industry,” explained the president of Iveco Spain, Ángel Rodríguez Languilla.
In this sense, he points out that the efforts of manufacturers alone are not enough, “it must be accompanied by measures that can enable and make this plan feasible, bringing these technologies closer to the end customer, always making it competitive.” For his part, the general director of Anfac clarifies that we are very far from the objectives and “we are a key sector that faces very important challenges, since we work with clients who use the vehicle as a work tool.” For this reason, they advocate reducing the cost of acquiring heavy vehicles, “because it is necessary for them to consider purchasing them.”
The first thing that Anfac proposes to address these remains is the creation, together with the Administration, of a work table for industrial vehicles and buses in which, in addition to the ministries responsible for the sectoral and industrial decarbonization objectives, the manufacturers and marketers of vehicles and transporters of goods and passengers by road. “This table will allow us to identify the key points that must be addressed regarding the current situation and implement the necessary measures by consensus,” they highlight.
THE PRIORITY AREAS OF ACTION
Regarding the priority areas of action of the Roadmap, Anfac proposes, among other measures, extending the deadline, which ends in April, for the Moves aid from the Ministry of Transport. “It is necessary to continue them in the coming years, but improving their approach and application, focusing on prioritizing, above all, the collection of aid quickly, in addition to eliminating superfluous administrative costs,” they explain. They also defend that this plan include, for example, financing for renting or that battery charging systems for electric vehicles linked to the subsidy application for fleet renewal be subsidized.
Likewise, Anfac considers it necessary to launch a specific plan to renew municipal fleets for the 2024-2026 horizon. One of the main obstacles is the age of the commercial vehicle fleet, which stands at 14.7 years, well above the European average. Therefore, it is necessary to implement measures that not only contribute to the change towards zero and low emissions, but also to the renewal of the fleet, argue the manufacturers. “It is necessary to use taxation as a tool to make investment in new technology vehicles more attractive to transporters,” stated José López-Tafall.
On the other hand, the roadmap also includes the development of infrastructure and Anfac is committed to the creation of a state center for the deployment of infrastructure for recharging electric vehicles and refueling alternative vehicles. “Organization through which a series of binding public objectives for deployment scheduled by years and powers would be defined, while guaranteeing the adaptability of the infrastructure to the specific needs of this type of vehicle, very different from those of a passenger car” , they add. The high-power infrastructure in Spain is, according to Anfac, insufficient: less than 2% of publicly accessible charging points have powers above 250 kW. Furthermore, “there is a big part of this infrastructure that, even though it is high power, has a voltage of 400 V and cannot be used for heavy vehicles that require 500-800 V,” highlights the general director of Anfac.
INCREASE THE MASSES AND DIMENSIONS
They also emphasize that regulation should be nothing more than active help to advance objectives. In that sense, they request an increase in masses and dimensions. Electrified vehicles have a greater weight, due to the incorporation of batteries, than the rest of the commercial vehicles, and those that incorporate aerodynamic improvements to increase the performance of the truck have larger dimensions when certain devices are installed. “We understand that it is urgent that these modifications be included along with those already requested historically to improve the loading capacity of trucks,” Anfac insists.
As far as European regulations are concerned, the priority action for Anfac is to reach, “with the expected support of the Spanish presidency, a satisfactory compromise on the regulation that must set the CO2 emissions limits of heavy vehicles, now in discussion, without a doubt the most relevant file for our road transport sector.” They also consider it important to reach a reasonable final agreement on the proposal for the Euro 7 emissions regulations, very ambitious for heavy vehicles.
REGULATION THAT FAVORS SPANISH MANUFACTURING
Manufacturers request an industrial policy to address the impact on commercial and industrial vehicle factories in Spain derived from the transformation of mobility and the need to compete internationally for the allocation of new technology models. “The cost of energy in Spanish factories is very high, a point difference in costs can make the difference in whether it is made here or outside of Spain,” said José López-Tafall.
In this sense, the president of Iveco Spain, Ángel Rodríguez Languilla, has warned that there is a risk of foreign brands landing in Europe, especially Asian ones, although not in the dimension seen in the world of tourism. “There is a Chinese manufacturer that wants to enter Europe and there are certain competitions that are being won by Asian-made vehicles, so the risk is lower than in tourism, but it exists and we will have to see the measures that are taken.”
