From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

This nonsense must be stopped now:

From the Telegraph:

Labour has unveiled plans to introduce a petrol and diesel lorry ban as part of their net-zero drive.

Ministers have announced an end to the sale of new fossil fuel-powered trucks in a move that opens up a new battle with the Tories and Reform.

They have ruled out allowing the continued use of low-carbon or synthetic fuels, meaning that from 2040 all new heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will have to be electric.

Critics warned that forcing haulage companies to adopt expensive battery or hydrogen-powered vehicles would push up the cost of business.

The extra expense would then be passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices for goods like food and clothes, as well as parcel deliveries.

Richard Holden, the Tory shadow transport secretary, said: “Labour are sleepwalking into a cost shock for the entire economy.

“Forcing haulage firms to scrap perfectly good lorries while they can still run for years and replace them with other vehicles before either the technology or infrastructure is ready will simply drive up costs, as well as being environmentally disastrous.

“Those costs will be passed straight through supply chains into higher prices in shops, higher construction costs, and more pressure on inflation. Every supermarket shelf, building site, and home delivery will feel higher prices.

Full story here.

The problem goes way beyond the cost of buying an electric lorry. It goes to the heart of the haulage industry.

Just as with EVs, electric lorries will have a very short range. Having to stop for an hour or so to recharge will turn one day journeys into two days. That assumes the driver can even find a charger on his route.

As a consequence, haulage companies will have to operate many more lorries in their fleets.

There is also the issue of weight – HGVs already place huge strains on road surfaces. Heavy batteries will either make matters worse or enforce lighter loads. The latter will, of course, mean hauliers will have to operate even more lorries.

According to the Telegraph, the DfT are considering three options:

The first would see manufacturers set annual quotas for the number of electric HGVs they must sell, similar to how the petrol car ban will work.

Another option laid out by ministers is to follow the EU’s approach and set haulage companies ever decreasing carbon emissions caps.

Finally, delivery firms could be required to ensure that an ever increasing proportion of their fleet was electric, eventually reaching 100 per cent.

They are all equally unacceptable. It is therefore disappointing that the haulage industry is not fighting this hard. Instead we get weasel words:

Chris Ashley, from the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said: “We’re clear that the decarbonisation transition hinges on two key issues being addressed – infrastructure in place to power zero emission HGVs, and vehicle affordability.

“The pathway to decarbonise lorries and coaches in the UK must be realistic and viable – we’ll look to see how the consultation achieves that.”

The motor manufacturing industry made the same mistake years ago, succumbing to Net Zero madness. Now they are paying the price.

Apparently there are 535,000 HGVs in the UK, of which only 500 are electric. The Green Finance Institute has estimated £100bn worth of additional finance and subsidies would be needed to support electric lorry take-up.

There is also the question of international carriers. We cannot ban a French lorry, for instance, from crossing the Channel and delivering loads up and down the country. Banning UK hauliers from buying diesel lorries will simply make them uncompetitive, with their business handed over to European transport companies.

Moreover, a UK haulier is hardly likely to send an electric lorry across Europe, where there will be little charging infrastructure.

It is quite frightening that this crazy policy is being pushed through by Keir Mather, the minister for transport decarbonisation. Mather is 27 years old and has a Degree in History and Politics. His only work experience outside of Parliament was an 18-month stint as a public affairs advisor for the CBI, before becoming MP for Selby in 2023.

He says there was a need to act because lorries “have a high environmental impact” and emit 16 per cent of all emissions from domestic transport.

“That is why we are firmly committed to accelerating the transition to clean technologies and to setting a path to phase out the sale of…all new non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles by 2040.”

HGV GHG emissions are about 16 MTCO2 a year, about 5% of the UK total or 0.03% of global emissions.

Why is somebody without the slightest experience of the real world given the authority to make such far reaching and potentially catastrophic policy decisions?