New analysis from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that Britain’s strategic road network has not a single HGV-dedicated electric charging or hydrogen filling point.

SMMT says this lack of infrastructure makes it impossible for the vast majority of operators to contemplate investments to decarbonise their fleets, putting net zero targets at risk.

From 2035, all new HGVs weighing under 26 tonnes sold in the UK must be zero emission. The remaining heavier vehicles must be completely decarbonised five years later.

HGV manufacturers are investing in electric and hydrogen models. However, these account for just one in 600 trucks on UK roads.

SMMT says that ‘charging anxiety’ is holding investment back in electric and hydrogen models and that more investment in public charging infrastructure is important for driving fleet decarbonisation.

SMMT is urging the Government to deliver a strategy within the next 12 months that focuses on the specific requirements of HGVs to enable operators to plan and invest.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘With just over a decade until the UK begins to phase out new diesel trucks, we cannot afford to delay a strategy that will deliver the world’s first decarbonised HGV sector.

‘Manufacturers are investing billions in electric and hydrogen vehicles that will deliver massive CO2 savings, and it is vital that operators making long-term decisions today have full confidence in these technologies, that they will be commercially viable and allow them to keep costs down for consumers.

‘A successful transition requires a long-term plan to drive the rollout of a dedicated UK-wide HGV charging and fuelling network, combined with world-leading incentives to encourage uptake and attract model allocation – a plan that will keep a greener Britain on the move and globally competitive.’