Reaction to Decarbonization Plan
The Governments’ Transportation decarbonization plan was released earlier last month. A series of consultations have revealed that the fleet industry’s role in helping the UK reach zero emissions by 2050 is key.
The plan for transitioning to zero-emissions cars and vans by 2030 includes proposals to ban the sale of new diesel heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from 2040.
It also includes plans to maintain low company car tax rates for electric vehicles (EVs) up to 2025.
The Government says that fleet operators transitioning to zero-emission cars and vans are vital to ensuring it achieves its decarbonization plan.
Fleet manager Lorna McAtear welcomed the Government’s transport strategy and proposed dates for ending the sale of diesel trucks and HGVs. They stated:
“As a fleet manager, I now know what I need to do; it’s that certainty, we have the dates, we now need to work towards them.”
Wholesale Conversion
Many household names are already converting to greener transport methods. Asda announced last month that its fleet of over 600 vehicles will be converted to electric cars by June 2025.
The government has pledged to lead by example.
They are:
- transitioning 25% of their car fleet to ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) by 2022
- being fully electric by 2027
In a report published last week, seven major companies outlined a proposal for both industry giants and the Government to help businesses make the switch to EVs.
These include:
- BP
- BT
- Direct Line Group
- Royal Mail
- Scottish Power
- Severn Trent
- Tesco
They have joined forces to create the Electric Vehicle Fleet Accelerator (EVFA) to help increase the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).
It brings together CEOs of companies that operate some of the largest fleets in the UK, as well as companies involved with key infrastructure of EV charging.
The idea being that following a private sector investment of £50 billion (which is yet to be confirmed) EVFA members have committed to converting the fleets involved to EVs by 2030.
The report also calls on the Government to future-proof electricity network infrastructure. This means ensuring that funding measures reflect the scale of the challenge ahead.
Comment
CEO of Royal Mail, Simon Thompson said,
“With the right policy and infrastructure in place, Government and industry can turbo-charge the faster rollout of electric vehicles built in the UK.”
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Reaction to Decarbonization Plan