Gaps appear in fleet sector drive to decarbonise in UK

Trade chief: ‘Every fleet is on road to zero, but task ahead is easier for some than others’

DANGEROUS gaps have appeared in the fleet market’s road to zero, with some sectors accelerating towards the petrol and diesel phaseout and others stuck at a red signal.

The latest BVRLA Road to Zero Report Card provides a traffic-light assessment of the decarbonisation trajectories of the UK’s car, van and truck fleets, measuring their progress against the vital criteria of battery electric vehicle (BEV) supply, demand and infrastructure.

Compiled by sustainability consultants Ricardo, with contributions from a range of fleets and transport and energy stakeholders, it shows a very mixed picture.

The picture for cars is mostly encouraging, where a positive outlook for BEV infrastructure and supply achieves an ‘Amber – accelerating’ rating, and surging demand gains a ‘Green – cruising’ score.

Most fleet car segments are embracing BEVs with enthusiasm, driven by a favourable tax regime, a raft of new models and significant growth in the charging network.

The van fleet sector is a different story.

BEV infrastructure, supply and demand all get an ‘Amber – brakes-on’ assessment.

This reflects growing concerns about a shortage of suitable electric vans for many key use cases, issues with public charging infrastructure and insufficient government support in the form of grants and tax incentives.

The report’s biggest concerns are saved for the HGV market.

With the Gover nment poised to issue a 2035-2040 phase-out deadline, the sector receives a blanket ‘Red – parked’ rating.

There is precious little momentum in this fleet segment, with no phase-out delivery plan, no technology roadmap, no mainstream vehicles and no charging infrastructure.

“Every fleet is on the ‘road to zero’, but the task ahead is easier for some than for others,” said BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney.

“There are ‘sweet spots’ where the tax incentives, total cost of ownership and typical journey patterns make going zero emission an attractive choice.

“Elsewhere, progress is much slower as fleets grapple with a shortage of appropriate vehicles and eye-watering charging infrastructure costs.”

This diversity in decarbonisation trajectories is backed up by the BVRLA’s latest Fleet

Sustainability credentials, which profiles a range of fleet segments according to BEV uptake and Clean Air Zone compliance.

Less than one per cent (0.7 per cent) of the total UK car parc is currently zero emission, whereas 22 per cent of salary sacrifice cars, eight per cent of company cars and seven per cent of car club cars are BEVs.

However, the decarbonisation challenges faced by the car rental sector is reflected in the fact that its BEV fleet stands at just six per cent.

There is a similar picture when it comes to electric vans.

One per cent of the current leased LCV market is made up of battery electric vans, which in turn make up just 0.4 per cent of the wider van parc.

Again, the rental market is behind, with just 0.1 per cent of its fleet battery electric.