With the Clean Corporate Fleets proposal, Europe aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost zero emission vehicles (ZEV) demand, support Europe’s automotive competitiveness, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, while expanding the second-hand ZEV market to make clean mobility more accessible. The chemical industry supports the transition to a competitive, sustainable and resilient future, and thus highlights the specific yet important operational reality for shippers.
The chemical industry faces unique operational and safety challenges- particularly at Seveso sites handling hazardous materials – where electric or hydrogen trucks pose specific risks in accidents due to battery interactions with flammable or explosive cargo. Furthermore, unlike transport operators, chemical companies are not vehicle owners or fleet managers – they are customers of logistics providers. Their supply chain choices depend on production sites, product types, and distribution networks, which require reliability, and above all, safety.
Six calls to enable progress without undermining safety or competitiveness
Cefic calls for a balanced, practical and safe approach to decarbonising corporate fleets including:
- Create enabling conditions – Sufficient infrastructure, charging equipment, financial incentives, and a coherent regulatory environment are needed before mandatory ZEV targets. Premature requirements risk market distortion and weakened supply chains.
- Ensure technology neutrality and flexibility – Shippers select logistics providers based on safety, reliability, flexibility, cost, lead time, and emission intensity. They do not control vehicle technology. Neutrality is essential to foster innovation in transport decarbonisation.
- Improve the competitiveness of ZEV trucks – Enhance both operational and investment costs, and implement the Weights & Dimensions Directive to allow higher payloads, reducing transport costs.
- Align related EU legislation – Coordination with the Eurovignette Directive, ETS for road transport, and CO₂ standards for heavy-duty vehicles avoids duplication, gaps, and administrative burdens.
- Strengthen rail and multimodal transport – Encourage modal shift to rail and inland waterways to reduce emissions and shorten road journeys. Revising the Combined Transport Directive and Rail Infrastructure Capacity Management Regulation is a priority.
- Address safety for the transport of dangerous goods. Electric or fuel-cell vehicles transporting hazardous materials require measures to mitigate risks from the electric drive, ensure high-voltage system safety, address battery fire risks, and maintain safety in hazardous areas.
Cefic has shared these concerns with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, reaffirming the industry’s sustainability ambitions and urging flexible, safe, and realistic solutions. The letter warns that the proposal could overlook chemical logistics’ unique safety and operational requirements, unintentionally undermining competitiveness, and calls for recognition of alternative fuels and accelerated action on rail and combined transport rules.