Bratislava hosted the first and very important discussion between public institutions and the private sector on the future of zero-emission freight transport. If Slovakia does not support its hauliers in meeting EU environmental targets and in electrifying its fleet, they will lose competitiveness and lose orders for transport services in the near future. At the centre of the discussion of more than 50 experts was not only the recently adopted revision of the EU Regulation 2019/1242 on emission standards in freight transport, but also the analysis of good practice from abroad, where subsidy programmes for the acquisition of emission-free trucks, as well as the associated infrastructure, are already running. The roundtable was organised by the Slovak Association for Electromobility and the Association of Industrial Associations and Transport.
“Today we focused on the analysis of the existing legislative situation, forecasts and plans for the development of emission-free freight transport, as well as on the identification of support options for a greener fleet and the development of charging infrastructure,” said SEVA Director Patrik Križanský after the meeting, pointing out that while in Poland, Austria and other European countries there are already subsidy programmes to support the purchase of emission-free trucks and the establishment of charging stations for truck transport, no calls have been made in this area in our country so far. “This is a pity, because inaction only further weakens the position of Slovak carriers on European markets. Competitive pressure can sink many logistics, freight forwarding and transport companies.”
“In January,the European Union reached an agreement on reducingCO2emissions for road freight transport and buses, setting ambitious targets for 2030, 2035 and 2040, with gradual reductions of 45%, 65% and 90% compared to 2019 levels,” Andrej Lasz, secretary general of the Association of Industrial Unions and Transport, presented the content of the meeting, adding, ” However, a reduction of 15% is already to be achieved by the end of next year, and we in Slovakia do not have a plan ready on how we are going to meet this commitment.” Also significant will be the renewal of the fleet of city buses, which are to be 90% emission-free by 2030 and from 2035 onwards to produce no more emissions.
“And thenthere is AFIR, an EU regulation aimed at developing infrastructure for alternative fuels, in our case charging stations for battery vehicles,” continues SEVA Director Patrik Križanský: ” The regulation does not require implementation into national law, so it is already directly effective in Slovakia.” For example, we are obliged to build charging parks (hubs) with a minimum capacity of 1,400 kW (including at least one connector with a capacity of over 350 kW) on motorways by the end of next year – and thus cover 15% of the road network included in the TEN-T Core network in Slovakia. “As these are mostly remote locations where such power is not easy to bring, we need to invest urgently in distribution systems as a first step,” emphasises the SEVA boss and continues: “Slovakia has 480 km of motorways included in the TEN-T Core network, which means, with the current requirements, to build 2 to 3 fast-charging motorway hubs in 20 months, depending on their location. Even in more developed countries, construction takes at least two years and we are still only at the stage of discussing the locations where we will build. Simply put: we already know that we will be late in meeting our targets.” By 2030, a charging hub with a capacity of at least 3,600 kW and at least two connectors with a capacity of over 350 kW in both directions is to be built for every 60 km of the motorway network – so in the case of Slovakia, we are talking about at least 12 hubs.
The demand for trucks that do not burden the environment with local emissions is increasing – whether the hauliers are looking for more sustainable solutions or manufacturers are expanding their vehicle range and improving their efficiency and range. Countries such as Germany and Hungary are adding countries where tolls are increasing according to the volume of emissions produced. By the end of 2026, this method of collecting freight tolls is to be in place across the European bloc. Emission-free trucks, on the other hand, are temporarily exempt from tolls and can also benefit from other subsidies or tax advantages. “If Slovak hauliers are to compete with those from Poland or other countries in our region, they must have comparable conditions for their business,” says APZD Secretary General Andrej Lasz.
Emission-free freight transport has become an important European issue and Slovakia must act quickly. Large multinational logistics outsourcers are already giving preference to zero-emission trucks in tenders and these requirements will only tighten further in the next 2-3 years. Large multinational corporations are moving towards emission reductions through their in-house strategies.
More than 50 representatives from ministries, vehicle manufacturers, international logistics outsourcers, charging infrastructure operators and industry associations attended the roundtable, making it possible to take a multidisciplinary approach to tackling this issue. “The first meeting resulted in an agreement on the need for detailed communication and the search for common solutions, which will be further promoted by the participating institutions in order to support the development of emission-free freight transport and the competitiveness of Slovak carriers,” concludes Andrej Lasz.
SEVA has published a detailed report that looks in detail at the electrification of road freight transport, provides a thorough overview of the current state of play in this area both here and abroad, presents a set of recommendations based on the experience of advanced electrified countries, an analysis of the challenges, but also the necessary legislative measures towards a more sustainable future in the field of heavy goods transport.
