Decarbonising Europe's heavy-duty vehicle sector is essential for achieving the EU's ambitious climate targets. This report, published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), provides critical evidence-based guidance for EU transport research and innovation policy by identifying key R&I priorities based on direct stakeholder feedback from industry. The findings reveal strong consensus on battery electric technology as the primary pathway forward, whilst highlighting hydrogen's complementary role for the most demanding long-haul applications.

• Battery electric technology as primary solution: Industry stakeholders demonstrate significant support for R&I focused on improving battery electric vehicle technology, which is perceived as more mature and ready for widespread deployment across most heavy-duty transport segments.
• Hydrogen as complementary solution: Whilst battery electric vehicles are favoured for most applications, hydrogen fuel cell technology is considered essential for the most demanding long-haul routes where range and payload requirements are most challenging.
• Total Cost of Ownership parity: The analysis confirms that achieving TCO parity or better compared to diesel is the most important factor for market uptake, emphasising the need for R&I to focus on cost reduction alongside technical performance improvements.
• Large-scale demonstrations needed: Stakeholders recommend large-scale demonstrations to de-risk operations and evaluate integration with both transport and energy systems, providing real-world evidence to support decision-making and accelerate deployment.

This stakeholder analysis provides direct, evidence-based guidance to help chart the road ahead and orient R&I call programming to meet the ambitious CO₂ emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The report supports the implementation of the EU's climate targets, including the goal of reducing transport emissions by 90% by 2050 under the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. By identifying critical technology readiness gaps and future R&I priorities, this study helps align research funding with industry needs and policy objectives, accelerating the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty transport across Europe.