Battery-electric trucks are “not zero emissions”, the government’s net zero plan is “ill-considered”, and the push behind it is being driven more by “political correctness and media propaganda” than operational reality.
That was the stark message from Geoff Potter, MD of temperature-controlled vehicle manufacturer Gray & Adams, speaking to logistics leaders this week in a provocative call for a “reset” of the UK’s HGV decarbonisation policy.
Speaking at the RHA’s Future Forum at the Vox in Birmingham, the self-proclaimed “automotive realist”, said: “This policy gave birth to legislative proposals… founded on two myths. Firstly, that battery vehicles are zero emissions; and secondly, that battery vehicles are the only means of decarbonising transport.”
Potter warned that fleet operators are being railroaded into a one-size-fits-all solution that ignores both the complexity of HGV operations and the opportunity presented by alternative low-carbon technologies, such as biofuels.
“There is an urgent need to bring balance to what’s become a very one-sided, politically-driven debate,” Potter said. “There are those who don’t support the battery-only approach, but can’t be seen to oppose it - possibly because of peer pressure or employer pressure. At any event, it’s a position that is driven by political correctness and media propaganda. It is not driven by reality.”
He urged the “undecided” and the “muted” voices in the room to speak up and join the push for a more technology-neutral approach - one that allows a range of solutions to compete on merit, including internal combustion engines powered by renewable drop-in fuels like HVO.
He also went on to challenge the idea that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are a silver bullet for HGV decarbonisation, highlighting research showing that, over their full lifecycle, BEVs can still emit up to 86% of the CO₂ of a diesel truck - depending on the source of electricity and manufacturing impact.
“Battery-electric vehicles will not get us from 100% to zero. That is a myth,” he said, adding that heavier batteries mean more wear on tyres and roads, worsening non-exhaust emissions - now considered the primary source of pollution from road transport.
Citing cold-weather range loss, charging constraints, grid uncertainty and vehicle weight, Potter claimed BEVs are often a poor fit for real-world HGV operations.
He also warned of looming cost burdens, as the Treasury looks to recover lost fuel duty revenue from electric vehicles.
“We cannot afford Net Zero in its current form,” he insisted. “It will increase costs, it will increase taxes - and that’s not going to do any of us any good.”
Potter concluded his presentation by urging operators to take action.
“We need to press the government for a reset,” he said. “We need to move away from the enforcement of battery vehicles and start talking about decarbonisation.”
He called for legislation based on full lifecycle emissions, not just tailpipe readings, and for long-term investment in clean ICE technologies that can run on renewable fuels.
“Ten years after Dieselgate, our industry stands at a crossroads,” he concluded. “The absolute focus on decarbonisation has taken away our focus - and our funding - from other critical environmental issues like plastic pollution and deforestation.”
