Trade associations have called for urgent action from the government to unlock hydrogen’s role in decarbonising the nation’s heavy transport sector.
In an open letter sent to government ahead of the refresh of the UK Hydrogen Strategy, the Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA), Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) highlighted hydrogen’s potential to deliver a practical and affordable pathway to net zero for high-utilisation and hard-to-electrify land transport applications.
Richard Smith, MD of the RHA, said: “HGV and coach operators face a challenging pathway to decarbonise their fleets.
“As the market for zero emission vehicle technologies develops to meet the UK’s Net Zero targets, it is essential that all technology options remain on the table, including hydrogen and the use of low carbon fuels.
“This is particularly critical for hard-to-decarbonise use cases, such as transporting very heavy goods.”
In their recommendations, the HEA, RHA, and CPA have called on government to:
- Recognise hydrogen’s economic and strategic value for energy security, industrial growth, and decarbonisation, with consistent cross-departmental messaging.
- Publish a national roadmap for hydrogen fuel and refuelling infrastructure to provide market certainty and attract private investment.
- Introduce hydrogen demand targets to stimulate supply chains and support security of supply.
- Create mechanisms to bridge the early cost gap between hydrogen fuel and diesel.
- Ensure all hydrogen transport solutions, including internal combustion engine hydrogen, are supported under the ZEV mandate and other net zero policies.
The call to action follows a recent workshop convened by the HEA, which brought together vehicle operators, technology providers, financiers, and industry associations.
Participants found that battery-electric solutions alone are not sufficient to meet the operational requirements of the heavy transport sector and that urgent action is required to ensure that the opportunity for these applications is not lost.
Luis Bassett, decarbonisation and sustainability manager at the CPA, said: “When it comes to decarbonising construction machinery nobody can predict the future, but it’s clear that there will be a mix of technologies at play.
“There are significant challenges to all alternative fuels, but hydrogen shows significant potential, particularly in off-grid locations and residual value on the international market.”
Relative to its population size the UK has significantly fewer hydrogen refuelling stations than the European average, with fewer than six in regular operation compared to around 100 across Europe.
At least 12 to 13 strategically located stations along key freight corridors, plus focussed support for back-to-base hubs, are urgently needed to make sure the UK is not left behind, the associations said.
They highlighted how hydrogen fuel provides rapid refuelling, high uptime, payload efficiency, cold-weather reliability, and off-grid operation—all of which are essential for keeping freight, utilities, and construction productive.
The workshop also identified important use cases where hydrogen could deliver significant overall cost advantages over battery-electric vehicles in key sectors, while mitigating against costly grid and electricity system upgrades.
Dr Emma Guthrie, chief executive officer of the HEA, said: “Hydrogen is not just an energy solution—it is an economic opportunity.
“With the right policy support, the UK can decarbonise heavy transport without compromising productivity, while also creating jobs, strengthening energy security, and positioning itself as a global leader in hydrogen technology.”
The concern expressed in the joint letter is that without urgent action, the UK risks over-reliance on battery-electric solutions, which could lead to significant grid constraints, rare earth dependency, reduced fleet productivity, and loss of competitiveness to international markets already scaling hydrogen deployment.
The HEA and its partners have offered to convene a cross-sector taskforce with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Transport to present case studies, international examples, and investment requirements.
A full report of findings will be published later this year.
