4 minute read
15 Thought Leadership
Just 84 months ….and counting
In 2030, all LCVs available for sale in the UK must be zero emission. With just 84 months, or one vehicle replacement cycle, to go, Grahame Neagus, head of LCV at Renault Trucks UK & Ireland, takes a look at what can be done today to prepare for tomorrow.
As the clock ticks towards 2030, we are starting to see a swing towards electric mobility take shape and not just in LCVs but across the HGV sector too. Indeed by Q4 2023, OEMs like Renault Trucks will have a complete range from 2.7 to 44 tonnes available as fully electric zero emission vehicles. But this is just half the story.
While momentum is gathering for EVs across a range of vehicle sizes and applications, if we are to meet our climate commitment, and a recent UN report stated that global emissions need to fall by 45% by 2030 in order to keep the key maximum 1.5C increase in global temperatures, then all our efforts will have to accelerate, not tomorrow but starting today. Currently a host of barriers, from infrastructure to useable all year-round range, payloads and the whole TCO piece are in the way of a mass market shift within the commercial sector. The one piece of this complex jigsaw that is not lacking today is the availability of product. OEMs, like Renault Trucks have invested and continue to do so, significantly in the latest technologies over the last decade in working with operators to prove the operational capability and commercial viability of fully electric vehicle technologies for all typical applications.
As battery technology, packaging and the associated motors improves, vehicle capability across many sectors continues to be less of an issue and within 12 months, there will be very few applications that are still outside of being able to convert to a zero emission alternative. Indeed, at a council in the East Midlands, policies are already in place where the default choice of a vehicle, regardless of size is electric, and only if no such option exists will they consider a Euro 6 diesel. And they are not the only ones adopting such a stance.
TCO is one area that has a degree of flex today due to the volatility of energy prices, however those who are set up at their base depots for charging their vehicles and who are not reliant on highway charging, will see a noticeable and positive difference in ‘refuelling costs’.
Across the globe, Governments are bringing in new legislation to accelerate the transition. In the USA for example, the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest $7.5 billion to build a national network of EV chargers and will provide funding for deployment of EV chargers along highway corridors. The goal of building a nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers to accelerate the adoption of EVs is one part of this Bill.
And although here in the UK we have seen growth of our infrastructure over the couple of years, it is still very much a pain point for many operators converting to full electric. However, we are seeing some innovative temporary solutions from businesses like Zenobe which are recycling older batteries into new power packs that can assist in rapid uptake of electric vehicles in sites which lack the immediacy of the correct power
• Grahame Neagus
requirements. Out of the box thinking is what is required in the short term whether that be equipping warehouse roof tops with solar panels or other alternatives. In reality, it may not be until after 2025 that we will see a real surge in the uptake, but this is less than 24 months away and during this time there are plenty of options open to operators to consider.
Of course, electric is not the only option when it comes to reducing emissions and improving your carbon footprint. Many clients are now looking at interim solutions such as HVO, a synthetic diesel produced by hydrogenation and hydrocracking of waste cooking oils, vegetable oils or animal fats. Thanks to its diesel-like qualities, HVO is a drop-in alternative to conventional diesel and can offer up to 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. ASCO in Scotland has converted 98% of its 100-strong fleet to HVO, and whilst it is a more expensive fuel, it has delivered immediate sustainability savings with no operational disadvantage for the business. Such use of HVO is a stepping-stone to zero emissions between now and 2030 whilst being able to slowly introduce new electric vehicles into the fleet and gaining understanding and familiarity of this technology.
Nobody knows quite what the future will bring, although electric motive power is definitely here to stay especially in the Urban and Regional operation: perhaps a new synthetic diesel will be developed to maintain the longevity of the current combustion engine with Euro 7 engines required from 2027. Hydrogen has the potential for becoming viable post-2025 too, but that depends a lot on its own infrastructure and cost. But whatever happens, from an LCV perspective new vehicles purchased from January 2030 will need to emit zero emissions.
The future of road transport will be a blended solution of alternative fuels that will drive the world to a cleaner and quieter future. With 2030 just 84 months away, the clock is ticking fast, so the time to start planning, if you have not already, is now.
