Last November’s publication of the government’s ambitious Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is the beginning of, to quote from an excellent article in the January 25th issue of Commercial Motor, a consultation process to phase out the sale of new diesel HGVs, after announcing that those of petrol and diesel vans will be stopped in 2030.
The ACEA, the industry’s European trade body, sees a need for all trucks to be ‘fossil-free’ by 2040 to reach the ambitious carbon-neutral target date of 2050. This might seem a long way off, but we all know that 2040 will be staring us in the face all too soon.
With ecological focus growing globally, there’s little doubt that both manufacturers and the general public will happily validate the move. Road transport operators, however, could be excused for viewing it with a little more apprehension, and the general view is that the industry is going to need a phased approach to the challenges ahead.
Although major vehicle producers are reporting some interest from operators for their fossil-free alternatives, low-emission alternatives such as LNG and CNG are still taking their time to gain a foothold, while the take-up of electric trucks has been low and there are still concerns around range and load potential.
Having identified similar uncertainty at the introduction of Euro 6, we led the way by making the emerging technologies available to our rental, leasing and contract hire customers on a trial basis.
We had a tremendous response to our ‘Try before you Buy’ approach from operators concerned about Euro 6, and we’ll do the same again with low and zero-emissions technology.
In the current transient environment, it’s unlikely that a move to zero-emission vehicles can be made in a single, quantum leap. For most, it will be a journey of smaller steps over a number of years. It is, however, a journey we can help operators navigate.
Here at Dawsongroup truck and trailer, we’ve been regular supporters of Motor Transport’s Clean Air and Freight in the City initiatives, so we know the level of interest among operators. We continue to be early adopters of greener technologies and have invested in fuel-efficient design (modern trailer aerodynamics, for example), new technology (direct drive and modern methods of refrigeration) and alternative-fuelled LNG and CNG vehicles.
Now though, with a very different economic landscape, fewer operators are looking to buy, preferring simply to try first and then get involved in full contract hire or leasing to build their fleets of the future.
In these fast-changing times, the supposed values of ownership are being overtaken rapidly by the economy and flexibility of usership.
John Fletcher, Managing Director