Government funding aims to get more zero-emission lorries on the road

The government has announced a £200m investment that aims to get more electric and hydrogen lorries on British roads.

While there’s lots of talk about electric cars and vans, little has been done to address the more complex issue of how to bring emissions for HGVs down, which are said to account for 20 per cent of all transport pollution in the UK.

This announcement today (October 19) will see funding split across four projects that aim to get 370 zero-emission HGVs up and running on the road.

Gridserve, one of the largest electric car charging operators in the UK, is another to receive a cut of the funding and will set up its ‘Project Electric Freightway’ to demonstrate 140 electric DAF and Volvo HGVs, as well as installing a number of chargers.

Large HGV fleet operators Eddie Stobart and Royal Mail, among others, have also confirmed their participation in a scheme that will use 70 electric and 30 hydrogen HGVs in the north of England.

Roads Minister Richard Holden said:  “Freight and logistics are the beating heart of our economy and it is only right that we celebrate the sector so that it gets the recognition and support it deserves.

“From boosting zero emission tech across freight to attracting the future generation of talent to the industry, we are working hard to drive innovation, create jobs and grow the economy by building a brighter, more innovative future for one of our most crucial industries.”

Despite the announcement, it comes just two days after Volta Trucks – one of the first firms to build purpose-built electric HGVs – filed for bankruptcy. Though headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, 600 of its 850 global employees are based in the UK, with hundreds of jobs now at risk.