It’s been a real pleasure to be back on the NEC floor and have those face-to-face conversations once again. Of course, Teams and Zoom calls can fill a gap. Still, there’s no substitute for an in-person conversation – and those conversations are more important than ever.
As well as recovering from the impact of Covid, we need to talk about how our sector can, and must, move away from fossil fuels. At present, the challenge is significant. There is broadly a consensus that vans have an electric future (although fuel cells may also have a role to play). However, the HGV sector has such a diverse range of vehicles and use cases that a universal diesel alternative is less clear. A broad range of technologies may well be the answer, but getting clarity and certainty is essential.
At present, just 0.2% of the HGV fleet is alternatively fuelled – a percentage reached by cars 14 years ago. There is a long road ahead, and successfully navigating it will depend on us ensuring we keep those conversations going.
