The European Commission Automotive package which was unveiled this week with result in

simpler Euro 7 rules and long-awaited relief for electric vans, according leading trucking website trans.info

trans.info is reporting that several elements of the Automotive Package have direct implications for road transport operators, particularly in relation to electric vans and the practical implementation of Euro 7.

One of the most tangible changes concerns the treatment of zero-emission vans whose weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes. In many cases, electric vans cross this threshold not because of their payload or operational role, but because of the additional mass of battery systems.

Under the current framework, this has pushed such vehicles into the regulatory category of heavy goods vehicles, triggering obligations that were never designed for urban or regional van operations. Operators have faced tachograph requirements and stricter driving and rest time rules, even when vehicles are used in the same way as conventional diesel vans.

The second key area for road transport lies in the implementation of Euro 7, not in its environmental targets themselves. After months of industry criticism, the Commission has opted for a technical adjustment rather than a political renegotiation.

The Omnibus proposal focuses on streamlining testing and monitoring requirements that manufacturers and operators have described as costly and, in some cases, redundant. The intention is to reduce administrative complexity while preserving the regulation’s core objectives.

In practical terms, this includes:

• cutting back on testing layers that add limited environmental value,

• reducing duplication in heavy-duty engine tests across vehicle variants,

• and clarifying how on-board monitoring and consumption data should be handled to avoid divergent national practices.

For hauliers, this does not change emission limits or compliance deadlines. What it does change is the risk profile of the Euro 7 transition. By lowering development and approval burdens, the Commission aims to prevent unnecessary price increases and supply delays that could have slowed fleet renewal at a critical moment.

As with the van exemptions, the effects will not be immediate. These changes will filter through the system as Euro 7 enters its application phase, rather than rewriting it from the outset.

Check out the trans.info article on https://trans.info/en/euro-7-trucks-446476