The UK does not have a single public electric charger or hydrogen refilling station dedicated to lorries, with fewer than 12 years until the first ban on diesel engines comes into force, according to the automotive industry’s lobby group.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the government must urgently set out a strategy to help the sector to decarbonise or risk missing the target to stop the sale of fossil fuel trucks by 2040.
The lobby group said the lack of infrastructure “makes it impossible for the vast majority of operators to contemplate investments to decarbonise their fleets”. It also called for larger subsidies for zero-emission trucks to match the likes of France and Finland, which offer grants up to three times the size of the UK’s.
Heavy goods vehicles were responsible for 20% of the UK’s transport carbon emissions in 2021, or 21.4m tonnes, making them the second-biggest transport emitter, according to government data. However, unlike for cars and vans, there is no clear consensus on which zero-emission technology will become dominant.
Manufacturers have started building and selling electric lorries, while others are experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells. However, the lorry sector is far behind the car industry in commercialising the technology: only one in 600 trucks on UK roads produce zero emissions.
Electric lorries will require chargers capable of delivering more power than their car equivalents to prevent long wait times at filling stations, while there is no existing supply of the green hydrogen – produced from renewable power – that some companies are betting will be better suited to making longer trips.
The first ban on internal combustion engines in new lorries is scheduled to come into force in 2035, when all trucks under 26 tonnes must produce zero carbon emissions. All larger diesel lorries will be banned after 2040.
Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, said: “With just over a decade until the UK begins to phase out new diesel trucks, we cannot afford to delay a strategy that will deliver the world’s first decarbonised HGV sector.
“Manufacturers are investing billions in electric and hydrogen vehicles that will deliver massive CO2 savings, and it is vital that operators making long-term decisions today have full confidence in these technologies, that they will be commercially viable and allow them to keep costs down for consumers.”
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Rod McKenzie, a director of the Road Haulage Association, a lobby group for delivery companies, said: “The UK is reliant on its supply chain driven by trucks and supplying all the things people need. But there is no clear roadmap from the government on how we get to a net zero future. We need clarity on what type of fuel is best, investment in charging infrastructure, and help for small business operators to lease affordable new-generation trucks which currently cost three times as much.”
The UK government is also considering a trial of an electric road system, technology that would pair smaller, cheaper batteries with overhead cables to power trucks on the go when driving on the country’s most important roads. However, the government has not yet given a go-ahead for the trial.
