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Dec 20, 2012 12:53 PM

European, North American and Japanese heavy-duty  vehicle and engine manufacturers continue to call for global cooperation and  regulatory harmonization to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions from  the road freight sector.

The world’s leading manufacturers of  heavy-duty commercial trucks and engines gathered in Brussels to discuss key  issues facing their industry, including fuel-efficiency improvements,  reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, global diesel fuel  specifications, and issues related to heavy-duty engine and vehicle regulation  and certification.

Chaired by Harrie Schippers, President of DAF  Trucks and Chairman of the Commercial Vehicle Board of the European Automobile  Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), this was the chief executives’ tenth meeting  to discuss global issues and to recommend solutions to the critical regulatory  challenges facing commercial vehicle manufacturers.      

Summarizing the meeting, Schippers stated:  “Globally, commercial vehicle manufacturers are taking decisive steps to  overcome both short and long-term challenges. The industry is motivated by the  commercial imperative to increase fuel efficiency, as well as the related aim  of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Global cooperation to harmonize  fuel efficiency related test methods will be given priority as this can deliver  important cost savings to the industry, which will benefit our customers as  well as wider society.”   He added that the meeting has also “focused on longer-term issues with  the objective to increase flexibility in connection with vehicle design, which  can contribute to important emission reductions from the road freight sector. …  In examining these important technical areas, this high-level meeting has  reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation in the commercial  vehicles industry.”

Evaluating developments since previous meetings,  the chief executives discussed: 

• Steps towards adopting the worldwide heavy-duty emissions certification  procedure (WHDC);

• Developments in harmonizing diesel fuel specifications and regulations;

• Global cooperation on regulatory demands for improved fuel efficiency  and reduced GHG emissions.

Industry leaders agreed on the need to:

• Continue global cooperation in expanding the application of the  WHDC;

• Highlight the importance of global diesel fuel specifications;

• Develop globally harmonized fuel-efficiency test procedures; and

• Promote global harmonization of heavy-duty  hybrid certification procedures.

The leaders of the assembled companies will work  with their respective governments to speed up the adoption of WHDC procedure  and to support the United Nations in the establishment of a globally harmonized  procedure for heavy-duty hybrid certification. The participants reconfirmed  that they would continue discussions with the UN on the development of global  diesel fuel specifications. They also re-emphasized the need for concerted  global action to reduce GHG emissions and promote the establishment of  global test procedures for evaluating CO2 emissions from HDVs.