Yesterday, Continental Tire released a new microsite with an aim to explain the latest CO2 emissions regulations set for heavy goods vehicles. In addition, the tire manufacturer also launched VECTO, a new simulation tool designed for trucks. VECTO stands for Vehicle Energy Consumption Calculation Tool in full.
The European Commission set the first emissions regulations (EU Regulation 2019/1242) in 2019 for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) in a bid to combat climate change and fall in line with the Paris Agreement. The regulations were put in place to help cut CO2 emissions for new HDVs by 30% by 2030 and 15% by 2025. This is starting from the reference year that falls between July 2019 and June 2020.
The regulations apply to 6×2 and 4×2 trucks that have a gross vehicle weight of more than 16 metric tons. The European Commission is considering putting an extension to this in the future. To ensure that the set targets are met, the Commission also launched a simulation tool called VECTO in partnership with Continental Tire. Continental Tire looks to provide comprehensive information to fleet managers about the new regulations and their implications for their business. This is considering the fact that tires play a role in influencing fuel consumption, hence, CO2 emissions.
The new microsite contains the following:
1. Embedded videos that explain how VECTO works and what it calculates for HDVs. There’s also an emphasis on why the society and industry need to act now.
2. A comprehensive infographic that covers facts and figures explaining how the VECTO tool does its calculations, which vehicles are concerned, the potential tires have in reducing fleet operating costs and fuel consumption, information on the new regulations, and other parameters that help to lower CO2 emissions.
3. Information about effects on business for fleet operators, especially when it comes to fuel efficiency. There is greater transparency with regard to the buying of trucks.
You can find the site here: https://www.continental-tires.com/transport/fleetsolutions/co2-regulations-vecto.
According to the Head of Truck Tires Replacement at Continental in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Constantin Batsch, there is a clear demand for information among Continental’s customers. Talks with fleet managers reveal that there is a lot of interest. CO2 emission not only affect the purchase of trucks, but also the buying of Continental tires.
The company’s goal is to avail important information to fleet operators with regard to how the new emissions regulations and resulting changes for tires affect business and how they can use this for their best interests. Continental will help them find the right tire, adopt best tire management practices, and inform them on how this helps lower CO2 emissions and overall operating costs.
According to the European Parliament, up to 25% of the EU’s CO2 emissions from transport are attributed to heavy-duty vehicles. Truck manufacturers that fail to comply with the new regulations will face penalties. These penalties will be in the form of payments and will be paid per vehicle. Tires account for up to 40% of fleet operating costs because they influence fuel consumption by up to 30%, tire costs by up to 5%, and maintenance and repairs by up to another 5%.