Recital (1)

The registration figures of new zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles in the Union have recently increased but remain too low to achieve the CO2 emission reduction targets of the transport sector set in the Commission communication of 9 December 2020 entitled Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – putting European transport on track for the future. One of the main barriers to wider deployment of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles is the high upfront cost of acquiring such a vehicle. Securing a stronger business case for investing in zero-emission vehicles means working towards cost parity with conventional vehicles. The total cost of ownership consists of the upfront investment made to acquire the vehicle and the operational costs incurred during the vehicle’s lifetime. The gap in the total cost of ownership between conventional and zero-emission vehicles can be reduced by lowering the operational costs of zero-emission vehicles. Those costs include road charges.