Skip to main content

UK government to fund carbon-cutting truck trials

Truck operators have been invited to apply for a slice of US$15.34 million provided for industry trials of carbon-cutting trucks by the UK Department for Transport and the Technology Strategy Board. A competition opened yesterday for applications under the ‘Low carbon truck demonstration trial’ which will deliver fleets of low-emission heavy goods vehicles as well as supporting infrastructure such as fuelling stations and electric recharging hubs.
April 25, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSTruck operators have been invited to apply for a slice of US$15.34 million provided for industry trials of carbon-cutting trucks by the UK 1837 Department for Transport and the 2231 Technology Strategy Board. A competition opened yesterday for applications under the ‘Low carbon truck demonstration trial’ which will deliver fleets of low-emission heavy goods vehicles as well as supporting infrastructure such as fuelling stations and electric recharging hubs.

“Almost a quarter of carbon from transport in this country comes from heavy goods vehicles, so this is a key area for us to tackle,” said transport minister Mike Penning. “These trials will show us how low-carbon technologies perform day-to-day in the real world, providing vital data to build operator confidence in these green trucks and allowing us to make policy choices based on hard evidence.

“The investment in gas refuelling infrastructure will also give haulage firms a push to buy gas-powered HGVs, leaving a legacy that will support low-carbon transport well into the future,” Penning said.

Companies wishing to take advantage of the funding have until 20 June to bid for up to US$1.2 million each. Trials will run for two years and data collected over this period will be used to inform Government policy on low-carbon road freight. To qualify for the competition, vehicles must deliver carbon savings of at least 15 per cent compared with the equivalent conventional vehicle. A variety of technologies are eligible for funding under the rules of the competition including gas-powered, dual fuel or hybrid trucks of over 7.5 tonnes and electric vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.

Details of the competition can be found online here.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK road casualties lowest on record
    April 19, 2012
    The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that the number of people killed in road accidents reported to the police fell by 16% from 2,222 in 2009 to 1,857 in 2010 – the lowest figure since national records began in 1926. A total of 22,660 people were seriously injured in reported road accidents (a reduction of 8%) while 184,138 people were slightly injured (a reduction of 6%). The 2010 figures are significant because they confirm that casualty reduction targets set in 2000 have been surpassed.
  • Opinion: Infrastructure Act falls short
    December 16, 2021
    The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act has been passed, garnering applause across the political spectrum – but not everyone is excited. Scott Shepard of Iomob explains his concerns, and points to some unwelcome parallels with the recent Cop26 climate conference
  • Fuel for Thought: The what, why and how of motoring taxation
    May 15, 2012
    The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has highlighted the dilemma facing many governments – motoring tax income set to fall even as traffic rises - in an analysis of the decline in the amount of revenue collect from fuel duty and VED (vehicle excise duty) in the UK. The collapse in income from motoring taxation will be caused by increasingly fuel efficient petrol and diesel cars, and the predicted large-scale take-up of electric vehicles.
  • StreetLight Data and Altitude by Geotab reach new heights
    March 31, 2025
    Freight planning product covers aggregate truck volumes & congestion metrics