ENVRONMENTAL NEWS
More UK Government support needed to accelerate electric truck adoption
UK truckmanufacturers and operators needmore government support for electric truck adoption, bringing incentives in linewith those available inmainland Europe.
That's the opinion of Asher Bennett, CEO and founder of Tevva (UK electric truckmanufacturer).
Please feel free to quote fromthis or use as you see fit. Asher is also available for further comment (in person or in writing).
The IPCC just this week said that the world can still avoid the worst of climate collapse with genuine change, but that if we keep emitting at the current rate, the carbon budget for 1.5C will be exhausted by 2030. That juxtaposition of hope and grim reality should be enough to focus everyone’s minds on the opportunities and threats that lie ahead.
At Tevva we believe that further government action is required to ensure that the UK achieves its net zero goals in the best and fastest possible way for the good of the environment, economy and British people. The recent Net Zero Review set out the‘historic opportunity’offered by net zero in the UK, by creating a new era of change and opportunity. Yet the report also made clear thatmore should be done to ‘back business’and reap the economic benefits.
Our expertise lies in electric vehicles and specifically the electrification of trucks. Despite accounting for just two percent of vehicles on our roads, heavy-duty trucks (HDVs) are responsible for over a quarter of road transport emissions. Road transport and HDVs are also one of the largest sources of air pollution which causes 350,000 premature deaths per year in Europe.
Clearlymoremust be done to accelerate the decarbonisation of commercial vehicles, and we’re asking the UK government to bring truck incentives in-line with those found in Europe. Brexit put us in a position where as a nation we were free fromEU state aid rules which
Asher Bennett, CEO and founder of Tevva
limited the amount of support governments could give to certain industries. Yet, the UK is lagging behind its European neighbours when it comes to incentives for electric truck adoption.
As a vehiclemanufacturer Tevva can offer its
customers discounts at point of sale thanks to government incentives, with amaximumof £16,000 for small trucks and £25,000 for large ones. Yet, if you compare this support to what’s on offer in other European countries, you’re left with a feeling thatmore could be done. In Germany, for example, the government provides 80%of the price differential between diesel and battery-electric trucks, in the Netherlands it’s 45%. That’s potentially between £50-90,000 per truckmore than what’s on offer in the UK.
We appreciate the British government’s support which enables us to make our 7.5t battery-electric truck evenmore appealing to fleets. But for this country tomeet its net zero goals,more action is needed to stimulate electric vehiclemanufacturing in the UK, which is really the only bright spot in an industry that has reached its lowest ebb for over 60 years.
The electrification of trucks is inevitable, and the technology has developed to a point where an electric truck is a viable proposition formany operators. There's a huge appetite among fleets for electric trucks, as the opportunity to reduce emissionsmakes good business sense. Obviously there needs to be trust in the technology and clarity on total cost of ownership (TCO). Tevva is working with its customers to address both of these points and we’re confident that our electric trucks will save themmoney over the lifetime of the vehicle and improve their fleet and driver performance.
By developing a range of battery-electric and hydrogen-electric medium- to heavy-duty trucks that can improve air quality, vehicle safety, and lower total cost of ownership, Tevva is leading commercial vehicle decarbonisation in the UK. Yet themarket isn’t ready to adopt on scale without further incentivisation, at least not with the required urgency.
FOLLOW US June 2023 | 55
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
