As the commercial vehicle industry continues to innovate next-generation vehicles that deliver decarbonisation and cutting-edge road safety, we need responsive regulation that is equally forward thinking to help fleets go zero emission. An opportunity comes with government’s Christmas Eve announcement of a consultation over MOT testing and tachograph derogation for vehicles weighing above 3.5 tonnes and up to 4.25 tonnes which, given the slight increase in weight that comes with EV batteries, increasingly includes more zero emission vans.
The conventional 3.5t-4.25t regime was designed with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in mind, requiring annual MOTs at truck testing facilities, speed limiters and tachograph systems which help ensure the safest possible truck operations. The consultation is, therefore, asking evidence on how LCVs are used by fleet operators – for example, supermarket and home deliveries – so that government can consider a suitable regime for electric variants that is more familiar to those operators.
Fleet decarbonisation is already daunting for some businesses, particularly those which are hesitant to embrace the very latest technology. Making the process smoother can help improve fleet confidence to go greener. Doing that is very important given the need to decarbonise, with the UK having ambitious targets for zero emission van rollout, demanding every sensible measure possible to grow uptake.
Another opportunity that would come with smoother electric van regulation, meanwhile, is that these models can then be used as minibuses, offering green mobility to charities, schools, colleges and sports teams that want to invest in electric.
We have already seen positive steps, with the previous government having proposed, just before the General Election, to bring forward legislation that would have allowed category B licence holders to operate zero emission vans and minibuses weighing up to 4.25 tonnes, as well as a combined electric van and trailer weight of up to seven tonnes. Unfortunately, the calling of the General Election meant these changes could not be turned into legislation, so we await the new government’s decision on the matter. Forward-thinking policymaking is going to be crucial, to respond to the changing needs of the UK’s new vehicle landscape, one that is greener and safer than ever before.