It’s been a fairly quiet month in the world of alternate fuels with no major developments taking place, unless you operate an electric HGV and regularly drive to Able Humber Port.
More and more drivers are seeing hydrogen as a potential fuel for the future and fleets operated by the Government are aiming to be 100% zero emissions by 2027.
What’s the latest news around alternative fuels?
UK’s first public electric HGV charging hub
Great news for electric HGV drivers who regularly visit Able Humber Port as you will soon be able to recharge your vehicle at the new HGV charging site which is currently being built near this busy port.
The Milence HGV charging site will open from November 2024 and has capacity for 10 vehicles to be charged at once. Two bays will be powered using one Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) and the rest will be powered using four high-powered charging Systems (CCS).
Drivers will also have access to a lounge with welfare facilities which includes a selection of food and drink. There are future plans to increase the number of charging bays available to HGV drivers, and facilities will be enhanced in due course.
Able Humber Port was chosen as a key spot for drivers within the UK and drivers delivering goods from Northern Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic regions. Over 30 Roll-on/Roll-off and Lift-on/Lift-off boats come into this Port every week, making this a perfect location for an HGV charging hub.
Battle of the Zero Emissions
Although EV seems to be the fuel of the future for the UK, recent surveys suggest that the battle of the zero emissions might not be won by EVs so easily.
A recent survey by Venson asked drivers what fuel they would consider using if the sufficient infrastructure was in place. 22% of drivers would consider hydrogen vehicles over any other type of fuel, whereas 30% would use electric. Hydrogen uptake is lower as this fuel is still new to the UK market and knowledge around them is low in comparison to EV.
However, this is an improvement from their last survey in 2021 where only 11% of people said they would consider using hydrogen.
Drivers also mentioned other alternative fuels that they’d consider using if the infrastructure was in place. These included:
- Biogas compressed natural gas
- Compressed air
- Ethanol and liquified petroleum gas.
However, the most popular option was biodiesel, with over half of survey respondents stating they’d try it. Biodiesel is derived from sources such as waste cooking oil, animal fats, and rapeseed oil and does not require investment into new vehicles. This makes it a popular choice for businesses in particular.
Discover our fuel type guide for alternative fuels to help you decide on the best fuel for your fleet.
Green Government
In 2017, the Government first announced their goal that by 2022, 25% of the central governments car and van fleet would be emission-free. Once they had achieved this goal, they pledged to expand this to have 100% emission-free Government vehicle fleets. All Government cars and vans, whether they’re owned or leased, are to be swapped for an electric model, this also includes any vehicles that are hired for more than 5 days.
What does the future look like
With the Milence HGV charging hub almost completed , this could kick off more plans to have charging hubs built in similar locations around the country. Building hubs in locations near ports allows lorry drivers to easily plan their journeys as they’ll have peace of mind, knowing that they can re-charge their vehicles near their destination.
Drivers are also starting to see the potential in hydrogen powered vehicles with *62% believing that vehicle manufacturers should be investing the same amount of resources into hydrogen cars as they have been with electric.
Does this mean we’ll be seeing more investment into hydrogen powered vehicles over the next few years? Maybe, but in the short-term EV is likely to remain dominant.
 | Matt DoddsWith over 14 years of experience across two of the leading fuel card companies in the UK, Matt Dodds joined RFC Edenred to help lead the development of products to support our customer's move to EV and other alternative fuels, a transition he feels passionately about. |
