Under no circumstances should truck manufacturers be forced to sell a percentage of zero-emission vehicles while there is limited demand or charging infrastructure in place, according to a dealers’ lobby group.
The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) said car and van makers were already struggling to meet their government targets and doing the same to HGV manufacturers risked financial hardship to the entire industry.
The NFDA has responded to a government consultation on an HGV CO₂ emissions regulatory framework pointing out the considerable pressure being placed on manufacturers and dealers, which had forced them into heavy discounting on cars and vans in a desperate bid to stimulate a market that does not yet have matching customer demand.
The current car and van ZEV mandate require manufacturers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles or face significant fines.
The NFDA said in 2026, manufacturers are targeted to sell and register 33% electric cars and 24% electric vans.
However, last year only 23.4% of cars and 9.5% of vans were zero-emission, well below the government’s ambitious targets.
NFDA CE Sue Robinson said: “Truck dealers and manufacturers must not be placed under pressure to sell expensive zero-emission trucks where there is currently limited demand and no realistic public or open-access HGV charging infrastructure in place.
“Purchasing decisions are driven by price, reliability, and long-term business viability.”
Logistics UK has already raised concerns about the methods by which lorries will be decarbonised and pointed out the prohibitive cost of electrifying fleets when other low carbon fuels could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% - and much quicker.
Low carbon fuels independent consultant Colin Matthews has put together a template for operators to help them respond to the government consultation, which closes on 17 March.
Matthews’ document can be found here and the government consultation can be accessed here.
