The HVIA says it shouldn’t be taking eight years for Australia to catch up with Europe’s engine emissions regulations
The Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) says there is no reason for ADR80/04 not to be legislated now, provided the lead time allows for current timelines on vehicle delivery.
The HVIA says Australia is a taker when it comes to most technology, even if the country has a pretty solid record of innovation.
The industry body says ADR80/04 has been on the table for such a long time that both the car industry and the heavy vehicle industry have been crying out to government to hurry up and mandate the laws for lower emissions.
That is because the technology has been in place for such a long time overseas, but Australia’s regulations and fuel standards don’t provide the necessary support for the heavier engines that are needed to achieve the requirements.
So, the HVIA says the country is using dated technology instead. Euro 6 was first mooted for Australia as long ago as 2011.
The federal government began the process of drafting legislation to comply and sought industry’s feedback on any obstacles.
The HVIA admits the industry did lobby government of the day to hold back initially. Why? Because Australia is a rare beast in that is used as a combination of European, American and Japanese trucks.
While Europe had made the move to Euro 6, the same standards weren’t in place in American or Japanese markets. But now they are. And they have been for years.
Way back in 2012, the Australian Trucking Association, representing fleet operators, proposed in response to the government’s review of Emission Standards for Heavy Vehicles, that Euro 6 be held back to the beginning of 2016 for new vehicles and 2017 for updates to existing models.
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At the time, the HVIA says the ATA argued that members had experienced more issues with durability and reliability of vehicles under ADR80/03 (Euro 5) than earlier vehicles that met lower emission standards.
When 2017 came around and the government still hadn’t moved, the operator associations still resisted, claiming that reduced fuel efficiency countered the emissions reductions.
More recently the pressures from the community to act on climate change have seen the industry’s largest customers pushing for tangible action on sustainability.
The HVIA says this is a chance for Australia to catch up, and even to become a world leader in the journey towards net zero.
Prior to this year’s federal election, the HVIA put forward its policy platform to the major parties. The first step is bringing ADR80/04 into regulation.
The HVIA says it understands that from a political and government department point of view it is a done deal – just a matter of timing. Currently the delivery time on many new trucks is around two years from order date.
So, if you order your truck today you might be ordering an ADR80/03 (Euro 5 or equivalent) vehicle, which subject to the implementation of the legislation may be non-compliant when it arrives.
Australia has spoken on its will to take action on emissions reduction. The HVIA says the industry is ready to play its part.