UK firms challenged to cut freight emissions
The British Roads Minister Jesse Norman has called on UK businesses to lead research into low emission technology for lorries, as well as cars and vans. In a statement issued yesterday (21 September) by the Department for Transport, UK companies were urged to compete for up to £15m of funding.
The Roads Minister said: “We have made important progress in lowering emissions and are always looking at further ways of improving air quality.
“Lorries cause a third of the UK’s transport CO₂ emissions and simple new technologies can have the greatest impact in reducing the harmful pollutants of freight.
“This funding will give UK companies the chance to lead the world in developing important innovations to improve air quality across the country.”
The DfT reported that the first of the projects in the government’s low emission freight and logistics trial, announced earlier this year, are now using new electric and hydrogen dual-fuel vehicles on UK roads. By mid-2018, added the DfT, more than 300 of these low emission vehicles will be on UK roads.
