Government invests £200 million to drive innovation and get more zero emission trucks on our roads

New funding will create new jobs and provide crucial infrastructure to help the haulage sector decarbonise. 

More zero emission trucks are set to drive on UK roads thanks to a £200 million boost to decarbonise freight vehicles, drive innovation and create new jobs as part of a week of government action to support the sector.   

With heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) alone contributing 20% to all transport emissions across the UK, the £200 million in government funding will be invested across 4 innovative green projects to roll out up to 370 zero emission HGVs and help set road freight on the path towards net zero, driving innovation and creating new jobs.   

Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, the £200 million government investment from the zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme will also deliver around 57 refuelling and electric charging sites, providing the crucial infrastructure to help the haulage sector decarbonise.  

Roads Minister, Richard Holden, visited Voltempo in Birmingham yesterday – one of the recipients of the £200 million – whose eFREIGHT 2030 project is set to create up to 200 new jobs by 2030 and provide Birmingham with one of the UK’s first electric vehicle charging hubs dedicated to HGVs. 

The funding will help popular grocery companies such as Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer lower their transport emissions while protecting them from rising delivery costs associated with changing petrol and diesel prices. This could help prevent price hikes across supermarkets, allowing people to save money on food and groceries to help with the cost of living.   

This funding comes as part of the government’s commitment to make the right long-term decisions for a brighter future. Decarbonising the freight sector is a key part of building a sustainable future for the industry and achieving our net zero commitments in a fair and pragmatic way that lowers costs, creates jobs and grows the economy.   

Further to Voltempo, the other projects that will receive a share of the £200 million boost are Project Electric Freightway by GRIDSERVE, Project Zero Emission North (ZEN) Freight and Hydrogen Aggregated Logistics (HyHAUL) by Protium. 

The measures come during a week of action from the government, including ministers visiting multiple freight stakeholders, to understand how the sector can continue to drive innovation and play a crucial role in creating new jobs, growing the economy and helping the UK get closer to net zero.  

Find out more here.