The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced a £1bn boost to the Zero Emissions Truck and Van grants and the Depot Charging Scheme (DCS) to support businesses looking to switch to electric vans and trucks.
Designed to tackle the ‘two of the biggest barriers' to business switching to EVs – upfront costs and access to charging – this new support is hoped to help businesses save money, clean up ‘millions of journey miles' and assist hauliers in being ‘more resistant to global price changes'.
According to the DfT, the van grant will ‘continue to offer discounts' of up to £5,000 off the cost of electric vans, with the truck grant offering up to £81,000 off the heaviest zero emission trucks, covering up to 40% of the cost.
The department is also offering savings of up to £1m for companies installing charging infrastructure for vans, coaches and eHGVs, a saving of up to 70%, thanks to a £170m boost for the DCS.
Aviation, maritime and decarbonisation minister, Keir Mather, said: ‘This £1bn investment cuts costs for British businesses, supports jobs, cleans up our roads, and gives operators protection against shifting global fuel prices.
‘The logistics sector is the backbone of the UK economy, worth £170bn and supporting 2.7 million jobs. We're helping them expand and decarbonise their fleets whilst saving them cash, driving growth up and down the country.'
Toby Poston, BVRLA chief executive, said: ‘The Depot Charging Scheme is playing a vital role in helping fleet operators and rental companies to install affordable, reliable charging infrastructure at their depots.
‘The vehicle rental sector faces one of the most challenging paths to decarbonisation, and this additional support for depot charging will play a major role in building confidence. It will encourage more rental operators - particularly SMEs - to electrify at scale, reduce costs, and contribute to the UK's net zero goals.'
