At Logistics UK’s Future Logistics Conference Transport Minister Trudy Harrison MP announced £200 million in government funding in order to continue zero-emission HGV trials.
Taking the next steps towards Net-Zero
This guarantee will help with the industries journey to de-carbonisation, and aid the United Kingdom’s overall push to being a carbon neutral country. The current target is to have all new HGVs weighing 26 tons being zero-emission by 2035 and all HGVs will be zero-emission by 2040.
While they may seem conservative, these targets will still require a lot of work from both manufacturers and the industry in order to be met. The change to new technologies must be progressive so that the right vehicles are being used for the right journeys. The UK government must also ensure that the supporting regulatory framework and infrastructure is in place so that businesses can make use of new vehicles that are developed from this zero-emission HGV funding.
Electric vehicle sales are driving change
The sales of zero-emission cars has increased dramatically in recent years, with sales growing from 2.1 million to 5.3 million vehicles since 2019. The long-term forecast is also promising, with experts estimating that 70% of all new car sales will be zero-emissions by 2040, this projection has actually doubled in the last five years.
New technology will gradually trickle-up from passenger to logistics vehicles and the support already pledged by companies such as DPD, Amazon, ASOS, Nespresso and Procter & Gamble as well as by major vehicles manufactures like Ford, GM, Mercedes and Volvo will see this happen faster and faster over the coming years.
If you’re looking to reduce the carbon footprint of your export or import, Supreme Freight can provide solutions that will help meet your targets. Send us a message or call us on 023 80 337 778.