A new report by Zemo Partnership for the Welsh government sets out the policy options to decarbonise the commercial vehicle sector in Wales.

The report lists 60 ‘specific objectives’ that require policy actions to achieve them

The report lists 60 ‘specific objectives’ that require policy actions to achieve them, identifying the body (or bodies) with primary responsibility and the timeframe recommended for implementation.

Road freight and logistics are the life-blood of commerce and trade in Wales but also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), representing 34% of the country’s total surface transport emissions. That’s a significantly higher proportion of total surface transport GHG emissions than for the UK as a whole.

While significant progress has already been made in decarbonising cars and vans throughout the UK, the freight sector has seen slower progress and remains more challenging to electrify or otherwise decarbonise.

Zemo’s report recommends a package of measures which would save 8.4MtCO2e by 2050 and be highly cost effective with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 5.9.

The proposals would also unlock significant operating cost benefits for the commercial vehicle sector in Wales over the period to 2050 with each pound invested unlocking almost eight pounds of benefit to industry in terms of fuel costs. Cumulatively, this could amount to a £2.1 billion reduction in fuel costs to CV operators over the period to 2050.

Working in consultation with a broad cross-section of industry and government stakeholders in Wales and across the UK, Zemo has identified a range of ‘no regrets’ actions that can be taken by the Welsh government and industry to accelerate decarbonisation of the sector.

The report says the long-term primary pathway to decarbonising the commercial vehicle sector will be electrification. However, this will take time and there are types of operation where electrification may not currently be a viable option. Therefore, to maximise the decarbonisation of commercial vehicles in Wales, all pathways must be adopted in parallel.

Low-carbon fuels can decarbonise the existing fleet that runs on fossil diesel, with a role for ‘repowering’ vehicles in special use cases to zero tailpipe emission. The natural replacement cycle of aging diesel vehicles with new battery electric vehicles will contribute to reduced overall energy consumption and improved life cycle emissions. Hydrogen as a road fuel also has an opportunity to play a role in the late 2030s, once a significant supply of low carbon hydrogen production has been reached.

The report notes that operators can prepare for the transition by improving their understanding and awareness of the new vehicle technologies available as well as of advances in telematics and broader logistical planning which can bring long-term cost reductions as well as benefits in terms of customer and staff satisfaction.

The report also includes suggestions for vans, including for charging infrastructure. Electrification of cars is already accelerating along with the deployment of charging infrastructure, which will in turn increase infrastructure availability for vans. However, access restrictions and appropriately designed charging bays remain a barrier. The UK government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate will see a significant number of electric vans deployed in the next five years and Zemo says steps must be taken to support community based vans which lack dedicated infrastructure.

It also says advanced planning and coordination will be required to prepare local authorities and industry for the impacts of the ZEV mandate, where 70% of new vans registered in 2030 will be zero emission. This will require significant installations of suitable van and truck charging infrastructure across Wales, with the Welsh government encouraging industry to share infrastructure to maximise utilisation and minimise.

Robin Beckmann, Head of Transport, Environment and Decarbonisation, Welsh Government, said: “Cutting carbon emissions from the freight sector is a key challenge for Wales: heavy goods vehicles, in particular, are hard to decarbonise and freight overall represents a very significant proportion of total emissions in the country.”

Zemo Partnership’s director of policy and the Wales project lead, Jonathan Murray, said: “The Welsh government has been correct in identifying the CV sector as critical to decarbonising road transport in Wales.

“Freight is vital to the country’s economy. The good news is that if we get this transition right, there will be benefits to Wales’ economy, to operators’ bottom-lines and to the local and global environment.”

“We know the technologies that can decarbonise Wales’ transport system. If we can deliver the policy changes recommended in this report, we can accelerate the pace of transition and realise the full range of benefits that we know are available.”

To download Zemo’s report on CV decarbonisation in Wales, click here.