Just as Britain’s clocks went forward in March, so has its HGV transition with a number of key developments that bring plenty of optimism. Indeed, we have gone from have a handful of HGV chargers in the UK to double digits with the opening of a dedicated HGV charging hub in the Port of Immingham and an ultra-rapid superhub in Winchester. Immingham has eight charging bays and was launched with the Department for Transport present, along with an impressive line-up of seven heavy trucks from different OEMs, showing the collective support such infrastructure has from across our industry.
It has been a particularly positive month for government and sector collaboration, with Minster for Future Roads, Lillian Greenwood MP, announcing the first 50 HGV-dedicated electric charging stations, and four hydrogen ones, across the UK in a game-changing move for making zero emission trucking a commercially viable reality for more operators. The £200 million investment, via the government-funded Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstration (ZEHID) programme, has partnered with four schemes – eFreight, HyHAUL, Freightway and ZenFreight – and does what it says on the tin with support for up to 330 zero emission trucks. The majority, per the infrastructure rollout, are battery electric with orders for the vehicles now placed and some already on UK roads.
Supporting more operators to roll out zero emission HGV models is key, given industry has already invested significantly to offer a wide range of products that can meet an equally wide range of use cases. Industry welcomed with the news this week that government is extending the Plug in Truck Grant for another year, with changes to simplify the testing and approval process to demonstrate how the vehicle manufacturers meet the grant criteria. It will mean more zero emission HGV models available in the UK will qualify for funding and, therefore, more operators will be able to have their needs met with the latest, greenest options.
We want more zero emission HGVs on the road but also rolling out of our factories so it was hugely exciting this week that they are now part of primary production lines in North West England, with one of the UK’s long-standing truck plants getting significant investment to build battery electric models. The zero emission models will be built on the same production line as existing diesel products, ensuring consistency and quality, enabling the plant to ramp up production in line with customer demand, and ensure a smooth transition.
With more charging infrastructure, vehicle orders, production and policy support for the transition, March was a spring in the right direction. We now need to continue that momentum as growing zero emission volumes – of infrastructure, fleet renewal and manufacturing – is the definition of a successful transition for the HGV sector.
These are of course strong positives for the UK, but last night’s confirmation of new US tariffs will create further challenges across the entire industry. We hope a deal between the UK and US can still be negotiated, but discussions must continue at pace to find solutions that support jobs, demand and growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
