Fuel for Thought: Powering HGVs on the road to Net Zero

The UK Government is running an open consultation on a new regulatory framework to drive the transition to zero-emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). This consultation seeks views on how best to reduce HGV emissions and phase out new non-zero emission HGVs in line with UK climate targets. 

Notably, the Government has committed to end the sale of new diesel HGVs up to and including 26 tonnes by 2035, and all new non-zero emission HGVs by 2040. This would bring HGVs onto a similar trajectory to that already set in the existing Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate for cars and vans (which mandates 100% zero-emission new car sales by 2035). 

Why focus on HGVs now?

Decarbonising freight is essential for meeting the UK’s climate goals. HGVs emit 16% of greenhouse gas emissions and 5% of Nox emissions from domestic transport in the UK, despite being only a small fraction of vehicles on the road. Tackling HGV emissions is the next logical step after efforts to electrify cars and vans. In fact, the Government’s phase-out commitments for HGVs were first announced in 2021 (at COP26), and this consultation is a key step towards turning those ambitions into a concrete plan. The proposed framework could also help the UK catch up with other countries in zero-emission freight: for example, only 0.6% of new UK HGV registrations in 2024 were zero-emission, compared to about 2.0% across the EU-27 and 4.5% in Germany.

What is being considered?

The consultation paper outlines several regulatory options under consideration. Among the options under discussion are: 

• tighter CO2 emission regulations for manufacturers (based on the existing EU-derived regulations 2019/1242)
• a new ZEV mandate for HGV manufacturers, which would require an increasing percentage of new HGV sales to be zero-emission (similar to the mandate already in place for cars and vans)
• fleet operator requirements (requiring large fleet owners to adopt a certain proportion of zero-emission HGVs

The consultation also delves into important technical details such as what vehicle categories should be covered by this, how zero emissions should be defined, possible credit/debit trading mechanism for compliance, and the penalties/fine that might be applied for non-compliance. 

The wider picture 

Both government and industry have acknowledged that achieving zero-emission HGV targets will require more than just vehicle mandates for manufacturers or purchase incentives for operators. It will depend on developing the necessary charging and refuelling infrastructure. HGVs have far higher energy demands and longer daily ranges/greater distances than passenger cars, making electrification more challenging. The consultation recognises that public charging infrastructure for HGVs, while growing, is currently insufficient for these long-haul requirements - without significant investment in high-power charging stations, and/or hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, fleet operators may struggle to transition their vehicles. 

The consultation suggests that clear regulations will drive private sector investment in the required infrastructure, however the detail of this regime is not yet clear - it will be essential to see this progressed in parallel to the measures considered in the consultation, which cannot be successfully implemented without the necessary infrastructure to support the transition.

Conclusion

Overall, the consultation is a positive step that looks to extend the UK’s decarbonisation drive and begin to tackle the challenge of decarbonising heavier vehicles. It shows a commitment to align the freight sector with the UK’s wider zero-emission vehicle targets - we have recently written about the importance of decarbonising the freight sector. However, there are still many practical hurdles to overcome around upgrading infrastructure and energy networks.

The consultation is open for responses until 17 March 2026.  

The consultation seeks stakeholder views on the regulatory options and broad regulatory design of a future framework to reduce HGV emissions

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-hgv-co2-emissions-regulatory-framework-for-the-uk