Investments totalling £100bn are required to enable the UK’s full transition to zero-emission HGVs, according to a recent report from the Green Finance Institute. How to plug that gap was the subject of the Freight Carbon Zero Think Tank hosted at the BVRLA’s offices last week.
Co-hosted by Andy Salter from DVV and Toby Poston from the BVRLA, the session involved sector specialists representing all aspects of the HGV sector. Spanning vehicle funders, providers, operators and manufacturers, attendees got into the details around the barriers preventing adoption of zero-emission HGVs and the workable solutions to overcome them.
How vehicles are funded and operated, refuelling infrastructure, and vehicle technology were all under the microscope. Through group discussions and breakouts, new themes arose and alternative solutions were tabled.
A white paper exploring the key talking points will be published in the coming weeks. In that paper, the findings of the Think Tank will guide a series of solutions. The findings will inform government and the private sector in tandem.
A common thread throughout the Think Tank was the need for collaboration. The specialists were unanimous in the view that the zero-emission transition will only succeed when all parties come together to find and fund the necessary developments.
The need for all parts of the supply chain to have certainty underpinned every discussion. Solutions that bring that certainty are expected to punctuate the resulting white paper, which will go into exactly how to achieve it across the various macro factors that are influenced by the transition.
BVRLA members will receive a copy of the white paper when it is published. Any queries in the meantime can be directed to [email protected]
