Toespraak van minister Schultz van Haegen voor European Platooning Truck Challenge

Toespraak | 06-04-2016

Ladies and gentlemen,

Earlier this week, six convoys of platooning trucks left Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, all heading for the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, Europe’s main port.

And here we all are! We have crossed borders, driven on public roads and demonstrated our pioneering spirit.

Now we can show the world we are ready for cross-border truck platooning – for a new era in the history of mobility.
I’m very proud to meet you all!

Car manufacturers, European Commissioners, representatives of the EU member states, the automotive industry, and the road authorities…. Together we have taken meaningful steps with this first European Platooning Truck Challenge.

• You have shown that the technology for platooning is in place. All the major European car manufacturers and the automotive industry took part in this venture. You took up the challenge and demonstrated the latest technology. The results are very promising.
• You have created a strong international network of pioneers, with partners from the public and private sectors. This challenge has brought a range of stakeholders together.
• And you have learned by doing. This challenge has revealed that countries have different regulations about allowing platooning trucks on the roads, different regulations for drivers, and of course different rules of the road.

Take the compulsory distance between vehicles. In Belgium and France it's 50 metres, in Germany it's 2 seconds and in the Netherlands it's'‘a safe distance'.

Despite all the differences you made this challenge possible! And now we are ready for the next move. We want to take the leap from challenge to established policy. From an exception to normality!

Why do we want this? Because automated and connected driving is cleaner and more efficient and uses less fuel. It keeps vehicles moving and leads to fewer traffic jams. And smart driving is safer.

In the EU, road accidents claim the lives of 25,000 people, every year. 90% of these accidents are caused by human error.

Which is where a self-driving car makes a big difference. It doesn't get tired, or distracted by the children on the back seat, or look at its smartphone. Self-driving vehicles have great international potential. So this challenge doesn’t stand alone. It’s part of a wider move towards the introduction of automated and connected driving in Europe.

We’re at the start of a new era. And that gives us the opportunity to do things right.

It’s crucial for the car industry to ensure that new systems are compatible with one another. Volvo trucks must be able to communicate with Scania trucks, and so on. I know the ACEA is working on this, but we need to work together, to save ourselves the expense of putting things right later.

We also need to ensure uniform international legislation. What standards will we set for self-driving cars? When can they safely be used on public roads? We must avoid a situation where every country sets its own standards.

And of course, we want to get the logistic companies on board. This Challenge was with empty trucks. We want to change this!

So I call on the major logistics companies to use this innovative form of transport. I know big companies are interested; I hope others will follow suit. So let’s make clear agreements.

I am fully aware of the crucial role of European politics. To set this challenge up, the Dutch government played a binding, stimulating role, bringing all parties together. To prevent fragmentation, I want to go on playing that role for the next few years until platooning is ready for the next step.

But there’s more.

The smooth introduction of smart mobility on our roads calls for international political commitment. Next week, we will take a major step forward at the Informal Transport Council in Amsterdam. For the first time, we will discuss the impact of innovative and smart mobility at political level in the EU.

My goal is to make agreements to facilitate the introduction of smart cars, to coordinate efforts and to come to a joint strategy to strengthen the European industry’s global market position. If we can show what we are doing with this challenge, it will have an incentive effect.

It will help if we can show how public and private partners organised this challenge, and can demonstrate the results. So it will be brought to the attention of the Member States and the European Commission.

This challenge is a loud and clear signal to EU policy-makers: the technology is there, let’s deliver the policy!

Let me conclude by congratulating everybody who made this challenge possible. From driver to CEO, and from technical inspector to minister.
You pushed the envelope, took risks with investments, and you showed that cooperation works.

I am confident that your dedication will pave the way to a new era in the history of European mobility and transport.

Thank you.