If you are considering your career options as a driver, you may have been put off training to drive some forms of transport due to the environmental impact it has. While electric vehicles are increasingly prominent in the car sector, HGVs are mostly large diesel vehicles that produce nitrogen oxide and other harmful chemicals.
However, this is starting to change, enabling those taking driver training to enjoy the prospect of being part of a green revolution in the haulage sector.
Not only is it possible to produce batteries with the power to run HGV on electricity, but the government is now making a commitment to introducing the necessary charging infrastructure.
Government-backed body Innovate UK has confirmed plans for a new network of charging hubs that will be located across the UK. It plans to establish 54 of these over the length and breadth of Britain. At present there are just five hubs, with the latest having just been opened at Immingham in Lincolnshire.
These hubs will all be run by one of four partnership organisations: Project Electric Freightway, eFREIGHT2030, ZENFreight and HyHAUL.
“The announcement of 54 new infrastructure hubs marks a transformative moment for the UK’s freight industry,” commented knowledge transfer manager for Zero Emission Mobility Simon Buckley.
He added: “By strategically placing these hubs across the country, we are addressing one of the biggest barriers to zero-emission HGV adoption; reliable infrastructure.”
A government map of the hubs indicates there will be five in the Scottish central belt, making these easy for drivers in and around Glasgow to access charging points.
The latest road freight statistics published by the Department of Transport, covering the 12 months to the end of September 2024, revealed that goods vehicles drove 19 billion km. For this volume of journeys to be undertaken using clean, green energy instead of polluting fossil fuels will make a major difference to air quality.
With the new hub network in place, this could soon be a reality.