Transport Minister announces £200m zero emission HGV funding at Logistics UK conference

During her keynote speech on the second day of Logistics UK’s Future Logistics Conference, an integral part of this week’s ITT Hub event, Minister Harrison revealed over £200 million of government funding will be injected into an extensive zero emission road freight demonstrator programme.  

Scheduled to begin later this year, the three-year comparative programme has been designed to help to decarbonise the UK’s freight industry, with initial competitions for battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell technology launching shortly.  

The Department for Transport (DfT) has said the move to zero-emission trucks will help the UK create cleaner air, greener jobs and move towards its COP26 pledges, while reducing reliance on imports of foreign oil. Eliminating fossil fuels from road freight, DfT argues, will help to protect drivers and businesses from increasing global energy prices, by improving the UK’s energy supply resilience. 

The demonstrations will help gather evidence on the future refuelling and recharging infrastructure needed to drive the smooth transition to a zero-emission freight sector by 2050. The announcement builds on DfT’s £20 million zero emission road freight trials, delivered by Innovate UK, which ran last year.  

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison MP said: "Our road freight industry is one of the most efficient in the world and contributes over £13 billion to the UK economy each year.

"But we must accelerate our journey towards our net zero goals, and we're committed to leading the way globally on non-zero emission road vehicles.

"Our ambitious plans will continue to ensure food is stockpiled on the shelves and goods are supplied, while eliminating fossil fuels from HGVs and making our freight sector green for good."

“Logistics businesses are committed to decarbonising their operations, but to ensure a smooth transition, they need clarity on the path to zero tailpipe emission HGVs,” said Michelle Gardner, Acting Deputy Director – Public Policy, Logistics UK, “The trials announced today will play a crucial role in identifying the right technological solutions to help enable this. Given the breadth of the vehicles used across the logistics sector, and scale of innovation required to reach net zero, Logistics UK is also pleased that government has launched a consultation to identify potential exemptions to the 2035 phase out date.”

*www.logistics.org.uk/environment

Published On: 12/05/2022 16:00:09

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