The Green Miles’ nine question decarbonisation challenge – Angus Webb

Using Dynamon’s software tools enables fleet managers and other key players in the transport industry to run their operations cost-effectively by providing access to insights around new vehicle technology, including EVs.

9. What are the biggest common sustainability challenges facing the whole logistics sector in your opinion?

The biggest challenge is not knowing where to start, not having a plan on how to decarbonise, because a lot of fleets aren’t doing what they could do, things that are quite easy and obtainable. Many logistics companies have not engaged in any decarbonisation planning whatsoever.

Decarbonisation is happening for a few different reasons. It is mandated through the government, it is also coming from customers wanting it, and thirdly, many companies have shareholders who are expecting it.

There are lots of factors a plan needs to consider. Regulations, what is the law going to be, and how is decarbonisation going to effectively be mandated into the company?

It is also important for companies to understand the cost implications, not just assume it is too expensive to think about. Understanding the cost of decarbonisation, the investments that you might need to make, and understanding any changes you need to make to your business.

Businesses need a plan which understands the implications of the decarbonisation mandate on the company.

We work a lot with public fleets, whether it is utility companies, water companies, police forces or councils. These operations have quite strict mandates, 70 percent for 2030 for example. That is a huge mandate.

That is why decarbonisation planning is ultra important. If you know where you are going to start and what your journey is going to be, you can plan the infrastructure, you can plan the operational change that may be needed around your infrastructure, and you can go on your decarbonisation journey in a non-disruptive, financially sound manner.

The fleets that buy large amounts of vehicles, if we are going to talk about van operators, they are being impacted by the ZEV mandate more than the small operators because the ZEV mandate basically is easier to push on to the big fleets. You say, look, you want to buy 100 vans, you are going to have to buy 20 EVs. That is the deal. Whereas the operator buying one or two vans, they are not going to do that.

8. What are the hottest topics in decarbonisation for the HGV sector at the moment?

The two big barriers to electrification of HGVs are access to energy and depots, grid connections, and the perception of the lack of payload of the vehicles.

The grid connections into depots are a massive problem. If you want to charge a big truck, you need a lot of energy, and those grid connections are not typically easily available, and they are definitely not cheap, so there are unexpected costs.

Payload is a massive problem because a lot of fleets like the flexibility of operating large six by two trucks, even if they very rarely use the full capabilities of a vehicle. They base a lot of their planning on the fact that they could pick up a heavy load as and when they needed it, but most of the time, six by twos are not operating under their full 28 ton capacity. They are operating under less, so therefore an electric truck could do the job. But they would lose the flexibility.

Payload and grid connection for depots, I would say those are the hottest topics that need to be solved right now.

7. Do you think the UK’s net zero goals are realistic?

I think they are necessary. Are they realistic? Are we going to get to net zero by 2050? I don’t think anybody knows the answer to that question, but I think they are necessary. Yes, I think that if we get to net almost zero by 2050, I think we will have done well.

There is plenty to do. We are obsessing over the net 2050 deadline.

I am not a climate activist, I would like to see myself as a pragmatic engineer business person, but this is a transition and the UK’s net zero goals are not overly ambitious. We have got 25 years to figure it out and you have to get the process started.

I think if you take away the deadline, we stop. We do not start.

The only mandate I am aware of is the ZEV mandate on vans and we see van data every day. The ZEV mandate ends in 10 years, still quite a long way away. Five years ago, we were not really talking about EVs that much.

There is actually a lot of opportunity in the van space, because most vans do not drive that far. There are exceptions of course. If you are talking to a utilities company who has got to send a van from the Lake District up to Scotland because it is snowing and all the power lines have fallen down and you have got vans that cannot do more than 200 miles, then you have got problems.

6. What are the specific challenges faced by the different modal sectors?

Dynamon’s customers are commercial road fleet operators, but I guess I have got a slightly different perspective because I am actually a naval architect by training, so I can maybe comment on shipping.

It actually becomes quite an interesting topic because the government has to make policies for transport in general in the decarbonisation of our country. So, where it might be simple to say, let’s just use biofuels in trucks, we do not need to change anything. Six by two, diesel engine, wax and biofuel, decarbonisation, job done. Nothing changes.

But we are going to need that biofuel for other modes of transport. You cannot electrify a ship, for example. You cannot electrify an aeroplane. The container ships that come in and out of Southampton are travelling thousands of miles non-stop. You cannot electrify that. It is going to need to be powered by either biofuel or some very very energy-dense fuel of some form, not battery.

The government is going to need to make policies to make the biofuels flow to the areas where they are needed the most, and that is not going to be trucks. We may get a short-term HVO boost right now, but when shipping starts to need to decarbonise, all of that lovely biodiesel is going to flow to where it is needed, where there is no alternative.

One solution for trucks using large batteries, which reduce payload, would be to have a longer truck and carry more payload because you spread the weight over the axles differently. If you had a longer trailer, you could put the payload further back and the drive axle would not be maxed out anymore.

5. What are the best examples of positive breakthroughs you have seen in the last decade?

My business is around decarbonisation planning, and I think most fleets do not know what they can do. If every fleet had a comprehensive decarbonisation plan mapped out over 10 years, 15 years for them, they would do more. They could act on it now, and they would probably get quite excited about it because it would take a lot of stress out of the process, and it would also give joined-up thinking around where the real problems are.

Then the industry could communicate back to, say, Logistics UK and say, hey, this is our problem. You would get a much more cohesive message from your membership saying, we have done the D card plan, we can do this.

We cannot do this yet, and then you could kick the can down the road for the hard stuff. Give yourself the 15 years to 2040 where the heavier trucks problem kicks in.

Maybe get some support from the government, whether it is legislation or something, and to me that would be the biggest breakthrough the industry could make. And there is nothing stopping the industry from doing that right now. That is just a matter of going on and doing it. So yes, pitching my own company in that regard.

4. Who is an inspirational figure to you in logistics in this area?

That is a really good question. To be honest, I would not choose anyone in particular, but I would say everybody working in any fleet that is choosing to go down the decarbonisation route.

I think the electrification teams and all the OEMs have a tough job to do to sell that solution because of the challenging nature of the fact that vehicles are twice the price. But they are still selling the trucks, and they are creating the argument and showing that it is possible because the trucks might be twice the price, but the total cost of ownership, when you account for all the energy and the low maintenance and repair, actually works out quite well.

Anyone that is actually managing to buy or sell an electric truck to me is an inspiration because they are changing the thinking of the industry.

3. With the growing emphasis on sustainability, do you see rail freight competing with road and air transport?

I think that it should always compete. We live in a market economy and the best solution will win. So rail should be absolutely on the table. Shipping should be on the table.

2. How do logistics companies deal with first mover hesitancy?

No company director or entrepreneur wants to kill their company. No one wants to make a decision which loses money or causes damage. So I can see why, with the lack of knowledge, it seems like a reckless act to just go and switch to electric or whatever it may be.

You are just taking a leap of faith, and that is not how you run a business. A company director who has got a legal fiduciary duty to the shareholders of that company, it should not be a leap of faith. It should be a measured, calculated decision. Decarbonisation has to be approached with the correct expertise.

1. What does the rest of 2025 look like for logistics decarbonisation?

For Dynamon, it is getting the message out that decarbonisation planning is the number one priority. If you do not have a plan, you are going to make mistakes. It is going to cost money. It is going to create disruption. It is the top of the agenda.

Buying one or two vans or one or two trucks and putting a charger in a depot, this is giving you knowledge on how to operate those new machines, but it is not giving you knowledge on how to decarbonise your business.

It is a bit by bit process. I do think there will be a tipping point at some point in the future, and we may not even realise it. It has happened in cars already, but in trucking it is not there yet.

About Dynamon:

Dynamon works with the global transport sector providing solutions for direct fleets, leasing companies, OEMs, telematics firms, utilities consultants, and charging infrastructure providers.

ZERO by Dynamon is an advanced fleet planning software designed to simplify the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) while maximising cost savings and operational efficiency. It provides data-driven insights to optimise EV adoption, charging infrastructure planning, and total cost of ownership (TCO) modelling.

ZERO uses industry-leading analytics to assess fleet electrification potential, simulate real-world performance, and ensure businesses make informed, cost-effective decisions.