Nestle, Unilever, AB InBev Call For EU Laws on Zero-Emission Vehicles
November 28 2019 - 9:26AM
Dow Jones News
By Dieter Holger
Nestle S.A. (NESN.EB), Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A. (ABI.BT) and
Unilever PLC (ULVR.LN) signed a letter Thursday calling on European
Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to mandate that car
makers sell zero-emission transport vehicles as part of her
proposed European Green New Deal.
A group of 30 companies, industry groups and nonprofits said
there should be a law requiring that auto makers sell a certain
amount of zero-emission vans, urban and regional trucks in 2025 and
2030.
They also said the EU should create an investment fund that
supports infrastructure to charge electric vans and trucks in
Europe.
"The current supply in Europe is unfortunately nearly
non-existent, forcing us to build our own vehicles or initiate own
pilot projects," the letter said. "We now strongly believe that the
European Green Deal is a unique opportunity for the new European
Commission to overcome this lack of supply."
According to an estimate by the European Commission, it will
cost as much as 575 billion euros ($633 billion) a year for 20
years--or around $12.5 trillion--for the 28-member states of bloc
to reach their net zero emission goal of 2050. Ms. von der Leyen's
proposed European Green New Deal would help the member states hit
their targets through a combination of EU-wide investment and
legislation.
European Commission spokespeople didn't immediately respond to a
request for comment.
The letter cited data from the European Environment Agency that
show transport is the only major sector on the continent where
emissions have grown since 1990, accounting for 27% of the EU's
total emissions.
Heavy duty vehicles accounted for 22% of road transport
carbon-dioxide emissions in the EU, according to a calculation of
country data reported to the UN. The EU projects that emissions
from heavy duty vehicles could increase 17% between 2010 and
2050.
Germany's Daimler AG (DAI.XE), one of the world's largest truck
makers, didn't welcome or criticize the letter when asked for
comment.
"We have electric trucks in series production today and will
continue to increase our offering across all major regions and
segments," said Daimler spokesperson Florian Martens said.
Stef Cornelis, clean trucks manager at Transport &
Environment, a research and advocacy group that signed the letter,
said the newly appointed European Commission should incentivize
clean transport and take the lead from other regions like
California.
"Given the major brands and transport industry players signing
this letter, it's clear the demand is there," he said.
Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 28, 2019 09:11 ET (14:11 GMT)
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