The heavy road freight sector in the UK needs urgent clarity about technological options it should use to decarbonise, according to a House of Lords committee.

The government is currently consulting on a ban on the sale of new diesel HGVs by 2040, following its ban on the sale of internal combustion engine cars by 2030. But the consultation must be supported by the research and deployment of alternative technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells.

Whereas most cars and light commercial vehicles are better suited to operate as battery commercial vehicles, the case for hydrogen fuel cells in road haulage is much stronger. “The heavy road freight sector needs urgent clarity about which technological options are best-suited to its needs, and firm commitments that infrastructure will be deployed at scale,” according to a report from the House of Lords science and technology select committee titled Battery Strategy Goes Flat: Net-zero Target at Risk.

“The heavy road freight sector needs urgent clarity about which technological options are best-suited to its needs” House of Lords science committee

The government has invested £20mn ($27.8mn) in road freight trials taking place this year to try to identify the best options for HGVs. And the £23mn Hydrogen for Transport Programme is funding the deployment of around 300 hydrogen vehicles, eight new refuelling stations and upgrades to five existing stations.

Meanwhile, the £2mn FCEV Fleet Support Scheme is supporting public and private sector fleets to become early adopters of hydrogen. But this is not enough to give operators of road freight fleets confidence to invest in the technology, the committee report says.

End of diesel HGVs

The report recommends that the government promptly confirms the end of sales of new diesel HGVs from 2040, or even earlier.

“This will provide a clear timeline for research and development of technologies (including batteries and fuel cells), manufacture of vehicles and deployment of infrastructure,” the report says. It also says that the development of battery and fuel cell-trains should be supported to serve those parts of the rail network that are not electrified.

It adds that, to provide inter-seasonal storage, there may be a need for grid-scale fuel cells to be deployed alongside battery storage as part of the UK’s wider hydrogen strategy. 

2030 - Date by which UK will phase out sales of ICE vehicles

The UK could also make better use of fuel cells in conjunction with electrolysers in a range of stationary applications, such as local and community-scale systems, according to the report. It calls for the UK’s hydrogen strategy—due to be published in the next few weeks—to address these issues and to provide better support for the sector more widely.

“The UK’s fuel cell and electrolyser manufacturers have done well to establish themselves internationally despite being largely neglected by UK policy and public funding,” says the report.

“These companies need support to expand manufacturing in the UK, compete internationally and contribute to the UK’s hydrogen ambitions.”

Parliamentary committees scrutinise government actions and make policy recommendations but have no executive power.

---

Author: Tom Young