THE MD of DAF Trucks in the UK insists the road haulage industry needs the government to provide more help to accelerate the transition to zero emissions.
Laurence Drake commented following the SMMT’s release of 2022 registrations which saw DAF Trucks again head the UK market with 32.1% (13,068 vehicles) for trucks above 6.0 tonnes GVW which grew by 9.6% compared to 2021, with DAF seeing a 13.2% growth.
“However, whilst the published SMMT data does not yet differentiate between diesel and electric registrations, it is clear that uptake of electric trucks is low.
“While there are a number of valuable government initiatives, more needs to be done,” said DAF’s UK boss. “Compared to other countries, where incentives can cover as much as 80% of the cost between diesel and battery electric trucks, the UK Battery Electric Truck Grant is modest and, with current high wholesale energy costs, electric trucks simply can’t compete against today’s most efficient diesels in terms of total cost of ownership.
“DAF dealers are investing in the tools, training and facilities. However, they too need support to help the transition. If the industry is to meet the end-of-sale dates for non-zero emission vehicles, there needs to be more financial support for early adopters to really kick-start the use of electric trucks in the UK,” he stressed.
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