Decarbonising commercial vehicles (CVs) is crucial for delivering
net zero – but current grid connection processes mean many
operators' EV investments are blocked and will remain so even
after fossil fuel vehicle sales end, according to new analysis by
the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Around 5.1 million vans and 626,000 trucks are currently on UK
roads,1 all helping to keep Britain on the
move by transporting more than 80% of all domestic freight and
directly adding £13.5 billion to the economy each
year.2 While CVs make up 14% of all vehicles on the
road, their higher mileages and energy demands make them
responsible for more than a third of all road transport
CO2 – and almost an eighth (12%) of the UK's carbon
footprint.3 Replacing conventionally fuelled CVs with
zero emission vehicle (ZEV) models is critical to the achievement
of net zero – and transitioning the entire fleet would deliver a
CO2 savings greater than the total carbon
footprint of Sweden.4
As business tools, investment in new vans and trucks must be
commercially and operationally viable. But deriving the full
benefits of going electric requires affordable energy, access to
depot charging and access to charging facilities suitable for
larger vehicles across the UK's strategic road network. The fact
that companies currently face wait times of up 15 years for grid
connections is the biggest barrier to EV adoption,5
and is too late not just for 2035 – when the sale of new, non-ZEV
vans and HGVs under 26 tonnes is due to end – but for 2040 when
all new HGVs sold in the UK must be zero emission.
Massive manufacturer investment means operators can now choose
from 35 zero emission van models – more than half of the
market – and more than 30 ZEV truck models. Uptake, however,
remains significantly behind ambition with the ZEV mandate
requiring 16% of new van sales to be ZEVs in 2025. Currently,
electric van registrations are running at little more than half
that (8.3%) with around 167,000 more expected to reach the road
over the next three years – which would see the market reach 25%
ZEV by the end of 2027, below the mandate target of 34%. The
challenge is even steeper for the HGV sector, with ZEVs making up
just 0.5% of registrations and accounting for fewer than 600
trucks currently in use.6
While grants for plug-in vans and trucks and government's Zero
Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme
continue to incentivise the zero emission commercial vehicle
transition, action is needed now to remove administrative
gridlock to investment.
Government recently announced that it will fast-track grid
connections for data centres, wind farms and solar power
installations. This preferential treatment, as well as consistent
and efficient implementation of local planning policy, must also
be afforded transport depots if the UK's net zero and air quality
improvement ambitions are to be realised. Together with more
affordable energy and a faster rollout of infrastructure across
the strategic road network, this would make the case for operator
investment in ZEVs unarguable. To do otherwise risks ceasing the
mass transition of the HGV sector before it has even begun, while
holding back uptake of electric vans given they would use these
same facilities.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “We
cannot deliver net zero and improve air quality without
decarbonising commercial vehicles. But if operators have to wait
up to 15 years just to be able to plug them into their depots,
there is no case for investment. Prioritising grid connections,
alongside reform to planning and action on energy costs, would
reduce barriers to adoption, ensuring commercial vehicles
continue to carry the loads that keep our economy on the move
whilst doing the heavy lifting the nation needs to reach net
zero.”
The analysis comes as industry gathers today at the National
Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for the 25thCommercial
Vehicle Show, the largest trade event for the UK's road logistics
sector. More than 200 exhibitors from across industry,
including vehicle manufacturers, the supply chain, and services
and solutions providers will be present, with more than 50 zero
emission vans and trucks on display. As many as 15,000 visitors
are expected to attend, many representing fleet operators looking
to find out how to grow their business with a conference agenda
that will demonstrate how businesses can succeed in a challenging
global environment while delivering decarbonisation for the UK.
Notes to editors
1 https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/motorparc-vehicles-in-use-uk/.
2 RHA Industry Facts and Stats
3 DESNZ UK territorial greenhouse gas
emissions statistics: HGV and LCV CO2 emissions 2023: 35.7Mt
CO2. Total road transport emissions: 98.6Mt. Total UK CO2
emissions: 302.8Mt
4 Emissions Database for Global
Atmospheric Research
5 DESNZ, 15 April 2025
6 Full-year 2024 UK new HGV
registration data, SMMT.