Electric trucks should also pay heavy vehicle charge
Published: Wednesday, Feb 14th 2024, 13:20
Updated At: Wednesday, Feb 14th 2024, 13:20
العودة إلى البث المباشر
From 2031, electrically powered trucks will also have to pay a heavy vehicle charge in Switzerland. The Federal Council opened a consultation on this on Wednesday. It wants to modernize the charging system because revenue is declining and it has lost some of its effectiveness.
Most recently, almost 90 percent of all heavy goods vehicles on Swiss roads paid the same rate of the performance-related heavy vehicle charge (HVC). At the same time, more and more vehicles with battery and hydrogen-electric drives, which are completely exempt from the HVF, are on the roads. According to the Federal Council, this development could lead to a reduction in revenue of several billion Swiss francs in the coming decades and thus have a negative impact on the HVF targets.
In future, electric trucks are to be classified in one of the three applicable levy categories. The weight, distance and the so-called Euro emission standard are decisive for calculating the charge. According to the Federal Council's proposal, electric trucks should be assigned to the lowest levy category. The Federal Council wants to reclassify the currently most environmentally friendly trucks with fossil fuels (Euro VI) into the second cheapest category.
Two variants
In order not to slow down the modernization of truck fleets with the toll for electric vehicles, the Federal Council is planning support measures for electric trucks. The Federal Council is proposing two options.
The first variant includes a HVF discount for newly purchased electric trucks that are already in circulation. In the second variant, transporters based in Switzerland can choose whether they want to claim the HVC discount or an investment contribution when purchasing new electric trucks. According to the proposal, electric trucks already on the road can only benefit from the discount.
The government intends to determine the amount of the discount or investment contributions at a later date. According to the consultation draft, both variants are limited in time from 2031 to 2035.
With the revision of the HVF, the Federal Council also wants to achieve better planning security for the vehicle operators concerned. The Federal Council will now regularly determine the separation criteria according to which vehicles will be divided into the various charge categories for the following seven years. The consultation period lasts until May 23.
Commercial vehicle association welcomes changes
In an initial statement, the Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association (Astag) welcomed the proposals in principle and described the core elements as an "industry-compatible solution". Above all, planning security is of central importance for the industry, Astag wrote. The transport companies must have a guarantee at all times for at least seven years as to how the tariffs will develop.
Start-up funding for trucks with alternative drive systems would also be "very useful" for decarbonization. Today, the acquisition costs of vehicles that are operated in a CO2-neutral manner are two to three times higher than for conventional diesel trucks.
The LSVA has been a toll for trucks and other heavy motor vehicles over 3.5 tons since 2001. For a 40-ton vehicle, one kilometer costs around one franc. The total revenue of around CHF 1.7 billion per year is intended to cover the costs of damage to infrastructure caused by heavy goods vehicles and to promote the shift of goods transportation from road to rail.
Two thirds of the HVF revenue goes to the federal government, while the cantons receive one third. The federal government channels the majority of its revenue into the Rail Infrastructure Fund (BIF).
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish