Truck and Track Spring 2023 www.truckandtrack.com 30 OILS & LUBRICANTS The commercial vehicle landscape in the UK is changing – and fast. With the 2050 net zero deadline looming, the UK government is looking to new technology and materials to revolutionise the sector in terms of sustainability and efficiency. Tom Hyde, Technical Support Manager for TotalEnergies UK, answers three pressing questions on the future of the sector and what these developments mean for manufacturers. Q: Helping the UK meet its 2050 net zero deadline will be a big priority for all sectors in the coming years, including for HGV manufacturers and operators. What are some of the biggest challenges in moving commercial vehicles away from fossil fuels? We are at a transformative point in the industry’s history. As of research released last year, HGVs accounted for 19% of road transport emissions in the UK, making reform to this sector a significant piece of the UK’s sustainability puzzle. The move away from fossil fuels for all vehicles, including HGVs, will require new infrastructure, a great deal of investment and the right political structure to make zero-emission transport a reality. Fundamentally, the UK needs to provide viable and readily available alternatives to traditional fuel sources – and these do exist. Renewable biomethane or hydrogen for example are viable alternatives, and there are projects ongoing to develop a hydrogen ‘ecosystem’ for transportation in Europe, such as TotalEnergies’ partnerships with Daimler Truck AG and Air Liquide. Positively, these fuel sources operate and are refuelled in a similar way to the fossil fuel powered HGVs and vehicles we see today – an added benefit which means that there would be no major alterations to drivers’ working patterns. The difficulty is ensuring these are commercially viable enough to become ubiquitous. Something which the sector could struggle with is electrification. Charging infrastructure (or lack thereof) is often pointed to as a stumbling block to electric truck adoption – but there have been developments in this sector, and trucks designed for base-to-base use are on the market. Beyond this issue, the weight and size of most heavy-duty batteries could limit the number of goods that HGVs can carry. This is a problem that could hinder the electrification of fleets unless the development of these technologies escalates rapidly. Moving the commercial vehicle sector away from fossil fuels will require significant investment and a great deal of synergy between both public and private sectors. Investment into electrification technologies and renewable fossil fuel alternatives is essential, as well as making these resources widely and readily available for all those in the sector. Expert Q&A with TotalEnergies UK Tom Hyde
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