Germany has confirmed plans to implement a CO2-dependent toll system for all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes.
According to the German federal government’s ‘Third Amendment to Road Toll Regulations‘ project, an additional rate for CO2 emissions related to road transport will come into effect on 01 December 2023.
Under an agreement by the ruling coalition, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMDV) will add a CO2 emissions tax of €200 per tonne to road tolls for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
The CO2 component is in addition to the following existing components: infrastructure costs, noise pollution and air pollution.
This means a three-axle HGV weighing more 18 tonnes – depending on the emission class – will be charged an additional €6.3 cents (Euro 6) to €15.8 cents (Euro 1 and 0) per kilometre driven, accounting for 43% and 32.5% of the total rate per kilometre, respectively.
Vehicles weighing 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes will be charged an additional fee of between €3.7 cents and €8 cents per kilometre travelled, depending on the emission class.
This means the total kilometre rate will be €15.1 cents for vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes (Euro 6) and €24.8 cents for trucks with Euro 1 or lower.
BMDV estimates that increases and toll expansion will result in additional revenue of €7.62bn per year.
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To ensure accurate toll rates based on emissions, vehicles registered for toll collection must be classified into one of five CO2 emission classes.
Thus, all truck operators are now being requested to update their vehicle information before the December deadline to ensure proper classification and toll calculation of their vehicles.
As part of the registration process, operators are required to provide additional parameters and submit specific documents.
These include the registration certificate of the vehicle and trailer, which contains essential information such as CO2 emission value (V7), displacement (CM3), engine power (kW), technical weight of the vehicle (kg), and technical weight of the trailer (if applicable).
Other papers to submit are the vehicle manufacturer’s document – also known as a CIF – which is sent to the buyer of the vehicle and provides detailed technical specifications, including CO2 emissions and fuel consumption information.
It also includes data such as cab type, CO2 emission value, engine displacement, engine power, number of axles driven, and technical weight of the vehicle.
What’s more, truck operators must submit a Certificate of Approval/Certificate of Conformity (COC), which confirms that the vehicle has EU type-approvals and complies with environmental regulations.
It also contains information such as cabin type, CO2 emission value and chassis type.
Failure to provide these details may result in a vehicle being assigned to the most emission-intensive class, leading to significantly higher toll charges.
The new CO2-based toll system does not apply to vehicles registered before 01 July 2019 – these are automatically assigned to Class 1.
The scheme also provides exemptions for vehicles below 7.5 tonnes used by craftsmen for their own transport, and for all emission-free vehicles. However, the latter will only be exempt from tolls until 31 December 2025.
After that, BMDV said it plans to reduce the external cost component of the toll for this vehicle group by 75%.
You can learn more about the key trends and challenges affecting senior decision-makers who have responsibility for tolling, intelligent transportation systems and road pricing across the world at the 21st annual Road User Charging Conference in Brussels, Belgium on 05-06 March 2024. Click here for more information.
