Commission responds to net zero transport plans

14 Jul 2021 03:33 PM

Details of the government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan are being published on 14 July 2021, with the initial announcement including confirmation that government will consult on a 2035 date for ending the sale of new diesel and petrol vans, and a 2040 date for ending the sale of new larger HGVs.

Responding to this, Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, yesterday said:

“Among all the pledges being made by government and industry to help meet the net zero challenge, an end to the sale of the largest and dirtiest petrol and diesel trucks within 20 years would surely stand out as a significant step forward.

“In the same way the 2030 date for the end of new petrol and diesel car sales is focusing minds and investment, this can do the same for freight.

“It’s a welcome statement of ambition which the Commission first called for in 2019, and an unignorable signal that vehicles are turning right towards a greener future.

“We now need government to work with regulators and industry on detailed assessments of the infrastructure required for battery electric or hydrogen HGVs at depots and along major freight routes, to enable the transition.”

Notes

The Commission first recommended a ban on the sale of new diesel HGVs by 2040 at the latest in April 2019, in its report Better delivery: the challenge for freight

This page will be updated once full details of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan are published on 14 July 2021.