Government needs to support ultra low emission HGV market as well

The Freight Transport Association has reacted positively to a new report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee into sustainability in transport policy. In the report, the Committee states that fiscal support will be needed along with regulatory reform to develop the market in ultra-low emission vehicles. For cars it suggests reform to company car taxation, and for vans a reform to the weight limitations on alternatively powered vehicles.
September 2, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

The 6983 Freight Transport Association has reacted positively to a new report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee into sustainability in transport policy.
 
In the report, the Committee states that fiscal support will be needed along with regulatory reform to develop the market in ultra-low emission vehicles.  For cars it suggests reform to company car taxation, and for vans a reform to the weight limitations on alternatively powered vehicles.
 
FTA’s head of National and Regional Policy Christopher Snelling said the Committee is right that more support will be needed for the purchasers of ultra-low emission vehicles if they are to take off in the market place as soon as possible. The suggestion of considering reforming weight limitations on alternatively powered vans is welcome and should be explored further – subject to demonstrating it would not have a negative effect on safety.
 
Snelling continued: “The missing piece in the report is heavy duty vehicles.  From an engineering and technological point of view it is harder to decarbonise larger road vehicles – electric is not an option. Trials of alternative power sources for lorries were made under the Government’s Low Carbon Truck Trial and a further low emission freight and logistics trial has recently been announced, but more fiscal support will be needed if these new vehicles are to get taken up by purchasers any time soon.  Currently alternatively powered vehicles only make up 0.2 per cent of the UK’s HGV fleet.”

Air Quality & Weather Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • OPINION: Pursuing transit-first policies is best way to cut car dependency
    April 3, 2023
    It's frustrating to see the UK’s new green strategy once again centre around EVs
    Read More
  • Dutch survey shows drivers are in favour of road user charging
    January 16, 2012
    'Keep it simple, stupid' is an oft-forgotten axiom but in terms of road user charging it is entirely appropriate. So says the ANWB's Ferry Smith. A couple of decades ago, it might have been largely true that the technology aspects of advanced road infrastructure were the main obstacles to deployment. However, 20 years or more of development have led to a situation where such 'obstacles' are often no more than a political fig-leaf. Area-wide Road User Charging (RUC) is a case in point; speak candidly to syst
    Read More
  • ITSWC 2021: New solutions for the new normal
    September 20, 2021
    October’s ITS World Congress in Hamburg will profile the changing face of mobility, with real-world examples of electric vehicle implementation, shared transport and autonomy taking centre stage
    Read More
  • IRF takes politicians to task on road safety
    January 7, 2013
    The International Road Federation has issued a wake up call to government ministers, in the form of its Vienna Manifesto on ITS. Four years on from coming to a key decision on ITS, the International Road Federation (IRF) now faces a further question – how can it ensure its Vienna Manifesto on ITS achieves maximum impact? This is a challenge the organisation is not taking lightly. Issues the manifesto has been drawn up to address have become more acute in the time taken to publish it and are forecast to wors
    Read More

Highlighted Content