BERLIN, July 3 (Reuters) - The German government on Wednesday launched a project to build up a nationwide fast-charging network for heavy duty vehicles as Berlin aims to decarbonize the transport sector by 2045.
Greenhouse emissions in Europe's biggest economy fell to the lowest level in 70 years in 2023, but the transport sector has consistently failed to meet its climate targets.
While according to industry group ACEA electric vehicles made up just 1.5% of the EU truck market last year, Germany aims for around a third of its heavy road haulage to be powered by electricity or electrically produced fuels such as synthetic methane or hydrogen by 2030.
A comprehensive and user-friendly truck charging infrastructure is essential to facilitate rapid market adoption.
"Our goal is to let trucks only run on green electricity," Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement on Wednesday, launching the so-called "Power to the Road" project.
The initiative aims to create an easy-to-use fast charging network for trucks along highways. This will happen at the same time as expanding the country's electricity grid to absorb more renewable energy.
Around 350 locations are to be equipped with truck-compatible fast-charging infrastructure, with public tenders for some 130 planned locations to take place in the late summer, the economy and transport ministries said in a joint statement.
"A powerful charging infrastructure forms the backbone of tomorrow's climate-friendly mobility and logistics. With the truck fast-charging network, we are launching a real mammoth project," Transport Minister Volker Wissing said.
Commercial vehicles account for around a third of Germany's transport sector greenhouse gas emissions as heavy long-distance road haulage has been almost exclusively powered by diesel, data by Germany's Environment Agency (UBA) published in March showed.
Trucks' carbon dioxide emissions per kilometre have dropped by almost by 8.4% since 1995 as trucks became more efficient, but a rise in freight transport has boosted total CO2 emissions in the sector by 21%. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Jan Harvey)
