Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate does not address barriers to electric van adoption, says Logistics UK
Monday 07 April 2025
The changes announced by the UK government today (7 April) to the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate are welcomed in principle by business group Logistics UK, but Deputy Director – Policy Michelle Gardner says they do not address the practicalities of incorporating electric vans into commercial fleets:
“Vans are the workhorses of the UK economy, and our members will welcome the clarity today’s announcement gives that petrol and diesel vans can be sold alongside full hybrid and plug-in hybrid vans until 2035.
“The sector is fully committed to decarbonisation, but commercial vehicles are acquired and used very differently to cars and zero tailpipe emission vehicles must make commercial and operational sense before businesses can incorporate them into fleets.
“There are still significant barriers preventing more widespread adoption, and our members cite increased vehicle costs, lack of usable public charging, the time and cost of installing infrastructure at depots and higher regulatory burdens.
“These are practical concerns that need to be addressed, and we continue to urge government to work closely with the logistics industry and give operators the confidence to invest in green fleets while ensuring the resilience of the UK’s supply chains moving and delivering the goods that we all rely on every day.”
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk
