In order to reach their climate improvement goals of reducing CO2 emissions, the European Commission amended the Eurovignette Directive.

The Eurovignette regulation aims to promote sustainable transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, allowing national governments to charge tolls based on the distance travelled, the type of vehicle and the level of emissions of the vehicle itself.

It imposes pricing according to:

• The CO2 emission class
• The technically permissible maximum weight F1

HGVs will be categorized in one of five emission classes, which will change toll rates according to those classes.

Vehicles with a date of first registration after 01.07.2019 are subject to categorization in one of five groups depending on CO2 emissions and can benefit from lower toll rates.

Vehicles with a date of first registration before 01.07.2019 will be charged directly at the highest rates.

Germany will be the first country to introduce these emission categories, starting December 1st, 2023. Austria will soon follow, starting January 1st, 2024.

What is the impact for you?

To ensure correct classification and toll calculation, you must provide your vehicle information (F1 parameter) before December 1, 2023.

• Equipped with T4E or Telepass OBU? You can enter your data in your Customer Web Space in “My Vehicles” section (access to our Customer Web Space).
• Equipped with Toll Collect OBU? You can update your data in the Toll Collect system (access to Toll Collect portal)

Where to find the requested vehicle information?

• On the CIF (Customer Information File) document: document issued by the manufacturer and sent to the vehicle purchaser ; provides information about technical specifications, CO2 emissions and consumption of the vehicle. By means of the CIF, the vehicle is registered in the EU (since May 2019). The CIF remains valid for the entire lifetime of the vehicle.
• On the COC papers (Certificate of Conformity) also known as EC Certificate of Conformity or EEC Certificate of Conformity includes the following data: vehicle identification number (VIN), type and brand, stroke volume, emission behavior, noise level, dimensions.

FAQ

The FAQ has been provided by our partner Telepass – some answers could be applicable only to this specific provider.

During a roadside enforcement operation, is the driver of the vehicle required to provide the necessary documentation to determine the CO2 emission class?
EETS users do not need to carry with them additional documentation like the COC or CIF.

What happens if the F.1 weight is not provided?
The F.1 weight will be mandatory for the German and right after also for the Austrian toll domain. Therefore, if you don’t provide the F.1 weight by November 30^th, 2023, Telepass will be forced to deactivate the German and Austrian service. The same applies in case of a change of license plate.

What CO2 class will vehicles from groups other than 4, 5, 9, or 10 be assigned to?
The definition of the reference values in Directive 2022/362 under point (b) also refers to vehicles not yet covered by Regulation 2019/1242. The reference CO₂ emission for these vehicle groups will be published in an implementing act, as defined in Article 7ga(7) of this Directive, within six months after the data relevant for each vehicle groups are published in the report referred to in Article 10 of Regulation 2018/956. This report is being prepared DG CLIMA and its publication is expected to happen within the next few months. The report will provide values for vehicle groups 1,2,3,11,12,16.

Are buses/coaches subject to the CO2 regulation?
As it happens today with the F.2 weight, in future you will have to provide the F.1 weight. As of today, in fact, all buses will automatically be in class 1, except for electric or hydrogen buses. In fact, the Directive 2022/362 covers all wheeled vehicles, including buses. It states that “class 1 includes everything that is not in classes 2, 3, 4 and 5“. Classes 2, 3, 4 and 5, though, refer to the sub-groups defined in Regulation 2019/1242, which currently only includes trucks of groups 4, 5, 9 and 10.

Considering that vehicles with EURO Class 0-V always are put in CO2 class 1, is it still necessary to collect the necessary data for CO2 class calculation?
EETS providers will have to check evidence documents by default only in cases where a vehicle obtains a CO2 emission class better than “1”.

What will be the classification process for vehicles registered prior to July 1st, 2019, which falls before the commencement of the reference period specified in Regulation 2019/1242?
According to ASFiNAG’s and BALM’s directives, any vehicle not eligible for class 5 that has been first registered before July 1^st, 2019 shall be put in class 1.

Will Class 5 vehicles be free toll fees?
According to Directive 2022/362, starting from January 1^st, 2026, class 5 vehicles will have to pay infrastructure costs.

Which are the user obligations if a trip starts before and continues after December 1ST, 2023 at 00:00?
If the F.1 weight value and the F.2 weight value of the vehicle are in the same weight class, the driver does not need to do anything, even if he continues driving after the midnight of December 1^st, 2023.
In the unlikely case that the F.1 weights of the vehicle’s combination (truck + trailer) is in a higher weight class, the driver must stop his truck at midnight of December 1^st, 2023 and change the weight class on the OBU HMI.  A truck with an F.2 weight below 7,5t but an F.1 weight above that, must stop on December 1^st, 2023 at 00:00 and declare the correct toll relevant weight class.

Will LNG vehicles still be toll free after the introduction of the CO2 -Tolling in Germany?
Based on the current draft of the new BFStrMG, the LNG will no longer be toll free and will be subject to the same tariff as any other vehicle run by fossil fuels.

In case an EETS User will provide the evidence for a higher CO2 class too late and pay a too high tariff for a certain period, how can the EETS User claim for reimbursement?
The reimbursement process in case of a wrong CO₂ class will be similar to the existing process in case of a wrong EURO class. The user will have to contact its EETS-provider who will conduct a pre-examination and then forward the request to the BALM which will check the request and reimburse the amount directly to the user.

What happens if, after checking, the data provided are discovered as incorrect? (e.g. 17.000kg instead of 18.000kg)?

If there is an incorrect transmission of the data and they found during enforcement activities in Austria and Germany, the consequences could include penalties, fines, or other actions imposed by the authorities due to the incorrect transmission of the F1 weight. It is crucial to ensure accurate and precise data submission to avoid potential issues and complications during toll transactions and enforcement activities.

The following outcomes may occur:

• The authorities conducting enforcement activities may request an immediate correction of the vehicle data.
• During enforcement checks, truck drivers may face fines or penalties.
• If the transmitted F1 weight is higher than the actual weight of the vehicle, the customer may experience overcharging in terms of toll fees or tariffs.

It is essential for all parties involved to ensure the accurate and reliable transmission of the F1 weight and other parameters to avoid penalties, financial consequences, and overcharging.

Do I need to provide the corresponding documents for all plates?

It is not mandatory to send the corresponding documents for all plates. Only in enforcement cases, for specific OBU, the Toll Charger can ask for them.

I don’t have the COC or CIF with the requested information. Can I find the information on other documents?

No, the required information cannot be found on other documents. The COC (Certificate of Conformity) or CIF (Common Information File) are the documents that contain the necessary information. Please take into account that, beyond the F1 parameter that is always mandatory, the other parameters are relevant only for vehicles with first registration date after July 2019.