The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed that the UK market for electric buses and trucks is seeing major growth.
Registrations for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the bus sector rose by a third during Q2 2024, in which 424 new ZEV buses were registered. The UK is currently the largest ZEV bus market by volume in Europe, followed by Italy, Germany and France. A crucial element in the growth of ZEV buses is government funding, including England’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding and the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund; almost a quarter (23.2%) of new ZEV bus purchases in Q1 2024 were supported by government funding.
Analysis from the SMMT suggests that buses could reach net zero before any other vehicle sector; as buses have depot-based, circular and consistent routes, the transition to ZEVs is far more straightforward for bus fleets than for private cars or trucks.
Commenting on these new figures, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Fleets continue to go green in rising numbers: with suitably ambitious incentives and infrastructure is in place, buses and the communities which depend on them could be the UK’s first to reach net zero.”
Growth in ZEV truck sector despite poor infrastructure
Meanwhile, the truck market is also seeing massive growth in ZEV uptake.
SMMT figures show that ZEV truck uptake rose by 30% in Q2 2024, but the market share of ZEV trucks remains concerningly low. ZEV trucks currently make up 0.6% of the market, and while this is an improvement from Q2 2023’s 0.4% figure, it serves to demonstrate the current barriers to ZEV truck adoption in the UK.
Currently, the UK has only one dedicated truck-specific EV charging location – a service station on the M61 southbound, about halfway between Manchester and Preston. However, more are expected to come online in the coming months. The SMMT also highlighted difficulties with accessing decarbonisation grants, calling the system “lengthy” and noting that it covers fewer than half of all available truck models.
This is supported by other research; a recent report from the Social Market Foundation revealed that a massive increase in fast-charging infrastructure, as well as the extension of several key EV subsidies, is needed to boost business uptake of EVs.
On this, Hawes noted: “The UK’s place as Europe’s second-largest zero-emission truck market also demonstrates Britain’s potential to be a leader in the ZEV truck transition. Delivering that ambition, however, requires compelling incentives and infrastructure which will put operators on a confident path to 2035 and beyond.”
Interest in ZEV buses and trucks continues to rise
While ZEV adoption in large vehicles does come with many challenges, the interest in the sector continues to grow.
In June, all-electric coach operator Ember secured a £5.6 million loan from Triodos Bank in order to expand its fleet. Ember has used these funds to purchase 14 new electric coaches, bringing its total fleet to 38 vehicles. The company is also planning to boost its charging capacity by launching new charging hubs around Scotland.
In the truck sector, planning software provider Dynamon is launching a trial of electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs), which is says will see them “pushed to their limit” to prove their viability in logistics fleets. As part of this, a publicly accessible network of 1MW eHGV charging hubs will be installed across the UK.
