Government proposes financial support for purchase of gas-fuelled trucks

Government proposes financial support for purchase of gas-fuelled trucks. It is proposed that support be granted for purchasing or long-term leasing of new trucks of over 16 tonnes.

The support would modernise the heavy vehicle fleet and increase the use of gas instead of petrol and diesel, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy transport.

"This is the first time we are proposing financial support for purchase of gas-fuelled trucks. The purchase support is one of the measures in the road map for fossil-free transport aiming at facilitating the transition of heavy transport to emission-free transport. The support will increase the attractiveness of climate-friendly fleet. At the same time, the gas refuelling infrastructure will expand as the demand will grow," says Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka.

The support would amount to EUR 12,000 for purchasing a truck using liquefied gas and EUR 5,000 for a truck using pressurised gas. The applicant would receive support for a maximum of five vehicles. In order to receive the support, the vehicle would have to be registered in Finland and kept in the register for one year after receiving the support. In the seventh supplementary budget, an appropriation of EUR 1 million will be reserved for granting the support.

The goal of the support is to promote the use of gas fuel in heavy transport. Road traffic accounts for 90 per cent of all domestic traffic emissions. About 55 per cent of emissions are generated by passenger cars and about 33 per cent by heavy goods vehicles. According to the Government Programme, transport emissions will be halved by 2030.

What are the next steps?

A referral debate on the government proposal now submitted to Parliament will be conducted in a Parliament plenary session. Information on the date of the session will be available on the Parliament website (plenary session agendas).

The act would enter into force on 1 December 2020. The state would provide support for purchasing gas-fuelled trucks from 1 December 2020 to 31 December 2022. The responsible authority in granting and monitoring the support would be the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.

Other forms of support will be assessed in the road map for fossil-free transport, which will probably be sent out for comments in late 2020.

Inquiries

Päivi Antikainen, Director of Unit, tel. +358 50 382 7101, paivi.antikainen(at)lvm.fi, Twitter @PaiviAntikainen

Eleonoora Eilittä, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 50 309 9189, eleonoora.eilitta(at)lvm.fi, Twitter @EleonooraE