Of the 8,687 HGVs registered in the second quarter of the year just 90 were electric, indicating the government’s desire to outlaw diesel trucks is somewhat less realistic than its wish to ban petrol cars.
Sales of new diesel HGVs are set to be stopped from the middle of the next decade, with no new trucks weighing 26 tonnes hitting the road from 2035, and all new tractor units having to be zero emission from 2040.
Government grants of up to £81,000 are available to firms that purchase electric HGVs, while hundreds of millions of pounds are being put into HGV recharging facilities – but hauliers remain resolute in their adherence to diesel, with just 1% opting for a lorry with a plug in the second three months of the year.
Concerns include the downtime associated with charging; the added cost of electric trucks over their diesel counterparts; and the tonnes of lost cargo capacity implicit in the four-tonne battery packs HGVs need to achieve even a modest 300-mile range.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which compiled the figures, says the EV truck numbers are “not a cause for celebration” with the organisation’s chief executive, Mike Hawes, advising that the sector requires “a technology-neutral approach that recognises the diversity and complexity of HGV use”.
The National Franchised Dealers Association has previously warned EV HGV sales targets should not “under any circumstances” be modelled on those applied to cars.
