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Automotive Industry
Decarbonising heavy goods vehicles poses unique challenges but Britain is taking steps to address them, as SMMT data published this week shows new zero emission truck registrations more than doubled last year. It is positive albeit nascent growth in a weak overall market, down by a tenth as fleet renewal continues to normalise after three years of post-pandemic recovery.
As we have seen with cars and vans, zero emission uptake en-masse requires overcoming a range of buyer concerns – and that is a more complex task in the HGV sector where use cases can vary to extremes, from goods delivery and vehicle recovery to bulk tipping, tanker transport and firefighting. Manufacturers are innovating well ahead of demand to bring more than 40 different ZEV models to market, and government’s improved Plug-in Truck Grant will help more operators access them. But these commitments must also be backed with more substantial depot infrastructure support and, crucially, fast-tracked grid connections given operators currently face waits of up to 15 years – preventing many from considering the transition.
The importance of government incentives in unlocking private investment is visible in the zero emission bus sector, up by almost two thirds last year to claim more than a quarter of the overall market – which itself posted its best performance in 17 years. Not only is the sector leading the UK’s road transport decarbonisation but, as Europe’s largest zero emission bus market, it is ahead of every other major market on our doorstep.