British association urges ‘green truck fund’ to cut carbon emissions

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is calling for a ‘green truck fund’ to help operators adopt low carbon technologies following release of the latest figures from the Government’s Low Carbon Truck Trial. FTA says the fund would support operators in adopting alternative fuels to reduce air pollutants. It says the high costs of vehicle conversions or purchasing ultra-low emission vehicles plus a lack of public refueling infrastructure are significant barriers to putting greener trucks on the road.

“The majority of funding to date has been allocated towards cars and vans. If the Government is serious about supporting green vehicles, it must ensure that freight receives a fair share of funding particularly given its key role in delivering the goods and services vital for the UK economy,” said Rachael Dillon, FTA’s Climate Change Policy manager.

A number of FTA members are involved in the Low Carbon Truck Trial, which is providing crucial feedback on the benefits and challenges of operating heavy duty trucks with natural gas. Data is being gathered to analyze emissions savings and the other benefits that natural gas trucks can bring, such as lower noise. The trial involves more than 350 NGVs, with the majority using LNG and the remainder using CNG. 25 public refueling stations are being supported by the trial.

Natural gas and ultimately biomethane is an important alternative, especially for long trucking on motorways. OLEV is supporting a £4 million funding competition for public gas refueling infrastructure to be launched next year which will help industry, but in order to really kick start the market further financial support is required.

Source: FTA