Fleet operators are facing delays of up to 15 years for the grid upgrades needed to power depot EV charging, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The backlog of businesses waiting for a grid connection has grown tenfold over the last five years.
Under the UK’s net zero plans, the sale of new fossil-fuelled vans and HGVs will be banned from 2035. From 2040, all new heavy goods vehicles will need to be zero-emission.
Commercial vehicles currently account for 14% of all vehicles on the road: with 5.1 million vans and 626,000 trucks contributing £13.5 billion to the economy each year.
Despite their significant contribution to the UK’s economy, vans and HGVs are also a major source of CO2 emissions, causing over a third of all road transport CO2 and increasing the UK’s carbon footprint.
According to the automotive trade body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), decarbonising commercial vehicles is an essential step towards net zero.
Chief executive of the SMMT, Mike Hawes, 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.”
He added: "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 Government recently announced that grid connections for data centres, wind farms and solar panel installations will be fast-tracked. The SMMT has called for similar concessions to be made for transport depots.
There are several initiatives to increase the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, but without action to clear the administrative backlog, fleet electrification plans risk stalling.
