Commercial Vehicle of the Future

Key measures needed in freight transport to reach CO₂ emissions reduction goals for 2030 & 2050

The freight transport and logistics industry is and will continue to be a key driver of economic growth in Europe and road is the most commonly used method to carry goods.

As such, it carries a great responsibility: to be efficient, reliable, socially responsible, safe and sustainable. The Commercial Vehicle of the Future (CVOF) report is a forward-looking initiative examining how tomorrows’ commercial vehicles can meet this responsibility and would best suit a green vision of the future.

IRU’s CVOF report links decarbonisation to road safety and operational efficiency giving it a unique forward-looking vision on the future of road freight transport and logistics in the EU.

The report’s aim is to identify:

• how evolving technologies and trends could shape the use of commercial vehicles in the future
• how they might help the sector meet the EU’s ambitious CO₂ emissions reduction goals for 2030 and 2050
• how these measures might have positive cross-over benefits for improving road safety and operational efficiency

CVOF Reflection Group

The CVOF report was developed by the CVOF Reflection group, a public–private partnership of EU road transport professionals, civil servants and experts. Their objectives were to develop medium- and long-term policy and business recommendations, and to propose an action plan on how to reach a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030 and a 60% reduction by 2050.

How to get there  

A wide variety of measures are examined which could contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions and further increasing road safety and operational efficiency. These measures include propulsion systems and energy carriers, alternative and renewable fuels, digitialisation to name a few.

The commercial vehicle of 2050

The commercial vehicle of 2050 will need to enlist many measures in order to meet the ambitious EC target of reducing CO₂ emissions by 60%. It will be very difficult to reach these targets by following a “business-as-usual” approach and without making fundamental improvements, particularly regarding powertrain and fuel technologies.

The vehicle capable of satisfying these targets, will be highly modular and interoperable. It will have to run primarily on renewable energy sources and will need more flexibility in weights and dimensions. It should be fully connected and fully autonomous with extensive use of intelligent transport systems.