Government pledges £4m to boost HGV gas refuelling facilities 30 April 2014

The government has announced the key elements of a £500m package to fund the development and use of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) from 2015-2020.

As well as extending the network of rapid charging points for cars, the package includes some notable measures for the road transport sector, including £4m to expand gas refuelling facilities for dedicated gas and dual-fuel heavy goods vehicles, £30m to boost the low-emission bus market, and £31m for other ULEV sectors, including vans.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders), welcomed the news, noting that the package seeks "to incentivise technical developments in all segments of road transport, not just passenger cars".

The FTA (Freight Transport Association) also called the announcement "a welcome development".

"We anticipate that the funding package will contribute to increasing the uptake of gas and biomethane HGVs," said the FTA's head of urban logistics Christopher Snelling.

"The the current lack of a public gas refuelling infrastructure is one of the major factors preventing the market from taking off," he continued. "The HGV funding is a relatively small part of the package, but we hope more can be allocated in future to this important area."

LowCVP (the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership) has also announced its programme plans for next year (2014—2015) to complement the government's investment.

LowCVP managing director Andy Eastlake says that a central theme will be an analysis of the wider benefits for UK plc arising from the development of a strong UK low carbon vehicle industry.

He also says that LowCVP will be focusing on improving the provision of information available to van buyers, enabling them to make better comparisons between types of low carbon van.

He also speaks of "key projects" in priority areas of "fuels, commercial vehicles, buses and innovation", as well as committing LowCVP to examining the fuels infrastructure necessary to support the decarbonisation of road transport by 2050.

And Eastlake says that LowCVP will help to develop policy mechanisms to encourage the adoption of low emission buses – in light of OLEV's £30m funding for low-emission buses from 2015 in the post Green Bus Fund era.

Author
Laura Cork

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