The European Commission is expected to do away with a 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars on Tuesday, as part of a package of reforms in support of the auto industry, which lorry producers fear will neglect them.

They point in particular at penalties for failing to green their fleets in line with climate targets set by the European Union.

The commission allowed automakers more time to reach their own targets earlier this year -- in the face of competition from China, US tariffs and a slow uptake of electric vehicles.

But no such leeway has been granted to heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers who complain of similar challenges.

Christian Levin, the head of Swedish lorry producer Scania, said the industry faces about two billion euro ($2.34 billion) in annual fines if the rules are not changed.

Such penalties do "not make sense", Levin told AFP in an interview in Brussels, saying he hoped for a "grace period" or "a delay" in application.

He said sanctions were initially useful to spur investments in production capacity, but that companies were now past that point.

Scania for example can make 20,000 electric trucks a year but in 2025 produced only about 1,000 as buyers are not forthcoming.

"We did the homework. We developed the vehicles. We would love to sell them, but we need their help," Levin said, referring to the EU.

EU regulations require truck and bus makers to reduce the emissions caused by the vehicles they sell by 15 percent by this year, 43 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040 from 2019 levels.

Producers would like sales exceeding the lower, early targets, to count as credits towards the later, higher targets.

Electric trucks currently account for less than four percent of new sales, according to industry figures.

The lack of dedicated charge points -- there are only about 1,500 for heavy-duty trucks across Europe -- is stifling uptake, Daimler Truck CEO Karin Radstrom told a press conference called by European auto lobby ACEA to put pressure on the commission.

As an electric truck costs on average twice as much a diesel lorry, producers want more incentives for buyers.

Only two of the EU's 27 nations have so far made use of bloc rules allowing for trucks running on batteries to be fully exempt from paying road tolls.

Heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for more than 25 percent of road transport emissions and six percent of planet-warming releases in Europe, according to the EU.

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ACEA

CROWN HOLDINGS

Daimler Truck

Traton

Volkswagen