Amazon’s call for a national infrastructure network to support the widespread rollout of electric lorries has been backed by the industry, which said collaboration was key to reaching net zero.
This week the biggest-ever order of electric HGVs began joining Amazon’s fleet after it ordered 160 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600s.
It has installed charging points at all its UK sites, but the E-tail giant said the government also needed to work with the industry to develop a national network that supported widespread electric vehicle adoption.
Richard Smith, RHA MD, said: “We echo Amazon’s call for increased investment in public charging infrastructure, which would make wider adoption of electric vehicles more accessible and speed up decarbonisation.”
The RHA’s recent net zero survey revealed that 70% of HGV operators had no plans to add zero emission vehicles to their fleets, due to concerns about range and payload restrictions and the costs involved in making the transition.
It said access to energy infrastructure should be expedited and key to this was ensuring grid connections for eHGVs were sped up.
Smith added it also wanted an emissions-linked fuel duty rebate announced in the Budget this month, which would increase the uptake of low-carbon fuels and ease transition from diesel to net zero fleets.
Russell Olive, UK director at charging management software provider Vaylens, said Amazon’s EV rollout underlined how fleet transition had entered a new phase:
“It has moved from proving what’s possible to delivering at scale,” he said.
“But across the industry, getting from flagship investments to full decarbonisation will demand more than investment.
“The hardest nut to crack remains infrastructure. Not every depot or driver is grid-ready.
“Operators need to understand which vehicles are truly ready to electrify, where charging will be viable and how to build resilience for unpredictable operations.”
Olive added: “The real progress will come from collaboration, fleets, utilities and local authorities sharing insight, infrastructure, and innovation to make electric transport work in the real world.”
