DAF BOSS GIVES GRIM WARNING ON ELECTRIFICATION

Laurence Drake, managing director of DAF Trucks in the United Kingdom, has warned that current levels of Government support are insufficient to make electric trucks financially viable in the UK.

Celebrating a record share of the truck market in 2022, Drake hailed the success of DAF’s XF, FG and XG+ trucks in the UK’s growing tractor sector, but warned that when it came to persuading operators to begin the transition to electric vehicles the outlook was grim.

While there are a number of valuable Government initiatives, such as the Battery Electric Truck Trial and the planned Zero Emission Road Freight Trial, both designed to help encourage operators to start the transition, more needs to be done,“ said Drake, “Compared to other countries, where incentives can cover as much as 80 per cent of the cost delta between diesel and battery electric trucks, the UK Battery Electric Truck Grant is modest and, with the current high wholesale electricity costs, electric trucks simply can’t compete against today’s most efficient diesels in terms of total cost of ownership.

“DAF Trucks is investing heavily in electric trucks,” he said, “DAF dealers are investing in the tools, training and facilities to support those trucks and many DAF customers are keen. However, they need support to help the transition. The cost of moving to electric is not just about the truck, it’s also about the charging infrastructure and the need to adapt operations and schedules. 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.”

Last year saw the creation of the DAF EV & Sustainability team within the DAF Trucks UK organisation, whilst all DAF Truck Sales locations in the UK and Ireland will be enhanced to the status of DAF Electric Truck Centres by the end of 2023.