Government pledges £200m for zero emission trucks

With HGVs alone contributing around 20 per cent to UK transport emissions, the £200m will be invested across four innovative green projects, with the aim of rolling out up to 370 zero emission HGVs.

Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, the government investment also aims to deliver around 57 refuelling and electric charging sites, providing the infrastructure to help the haulage sector decarbonise.

The funding is expected to help companies such as Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer lower their transport emissions while protecting them from changing petrol and diesel prices and rising delivery costs that are passed onto the consumer.

In a statement, Richard Smith, MD of the Road Haulage Association, said: “The commitment ministers are putting into this demonstrator significantly helps to de-risk the transition to net zero.

“The real-world demonstrators will answer many of the practical questions operators have and, in turn, give our members the confidence to invest in the zero emission lorries needed to drive down carbon emissions from our sector.”