The report was launched yesterday (Wednesday 11th June) during a Parliamentary Roundtable event, convened by Zemo in Westminster, with cross-party MPs and Lords (including members of the Transport and Business and Trade Committees) discussing the report’s recommendations.
It consists of a ‘Map of Missing Policies’ and a Delivery Roadmap and is supported by the European Climate Foundation (ECF), building on the foundations of the Delivery Roadmap for Net Zero Transport, published by Zemo in December. The project forms part of Zemo’s attempts to achieve a more urgent, comprehensive and integrated approach to delivering net zero transport across the country.
The Map of Missing Policies identifies specific policy proposals, breaking down road transport into sub-sectors: buses; coaches; cars; vans and commercial vehicles. Each section includes a summary of the current situation, active government policies and proposals for new policies to accelerate and coordinate the transition. Energy/fuel-specific and cross-cutting recommendations are included within the relevant section.
“UK transport’s transition to net zero is well under way, though progress is uneven across the sector” said Zemo’s Acting Managing Director Jonathan Murray, commenting on the report’s publication. “There are still many specific hurdles that these policy prescriptions seek to address as we accelerate into the delivery phase of transport decarbonisation.What gives these policy prescriptions relevance and legitimacy is the fact that they have been scrutinised by such a wide cross-section of industry and academic experts, many of them Zemo Partnership members.”
The recommendations include:
Passenger cars
Reintroduce the Plug-In Car Grant, targeted on more affordable models.
Investigate possible government support for social leasing schemes - offering subsidized lease rates for EVs to lower income groups.
Introduce grants for used electric cars that fall within the typical price range of equivalent new entry- to mid-level models, with the scheme running for five years.
Incentivise the sharing of private chargepoints.
Commercial Vehicles
Extend the Plug-In Truck Grant to 2030, removing annual review processes and ensuring longer term financial commitment.
Publish a strategy for supporting a national charging infrastructure for heavy duty vehicles along the strategic road network and at motorway service areas.
Put in place a five year funding framework for fleet charging and refuelling infrastructure.
Make the Renewable Trasnport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) target more ambitious and extend it beyond 2032.
Evolve the RTFO volume based target into a GHG emission target, thereby encouraging biofuels with the highest GHG savings.
Vans
Extend the Plug-In Van Grant beyond April 2026.
Introduce grants for second hand electric van purchases on a time limited basis.
Use consumer and business incentives to encourage the use of PLVs for last-mile deliveries.
Buses
Phase in a higher basic BSOG for electric buses and simultaneously taper it for existing diesel models until 2032.
Create a new capital funding stream to ensure the distribution of infrastructure funding to smaller operators.
Traffic commissioners could restrict purchase of new diesel buses by attaching conditions to operating licenses, requiring operators to transition to zero emission vehicles within a specific timeframe.
Coaches
Work with industry to agree a realistic end-of-sale date for new non-zero emission coaches as the first step in a broader zero emission coach strategy.
Develop an initiative for the coach sector modelled on the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator Programme (ZEHID) to identify the most suitable technologies for coach operations and trial opportunities for innovation.
Consider using grant or other funding to support the growth of the zero emission coach market, once more models of coach are available to purchase.
“The UK’s road transport landscape is changing dramatically in a short time-frame” said Neil Stockley, Zemo Head of Public Affairs and the report author. “It’s vitally important that policy development keeps pace with this changing landscape to help ensure that the UK’s net zero transport industry continues to thrive and can contribute as much as possible to the UK’s economy and future prospects. I’d like to thank the many industry leaders and associated experts who have contributed their time and energy to helping Zemo complete this important work.”
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