Large hauliers and small local delivery firms can bid for a share of £19m of government cash to help cut their vehicle emissions.
The funding will also be available for commercial fleets to access the latest in low and zero emission vehicle technologies, as well as new alternative fuel infrastructure such as electric vehicle chargepoints.
Minister Andrew Jones being shown some of the latest technology
Speaking at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership annual conference, Andrew Jones also announced a low carbon HGV technology accreditation scheme. The programme provides fleet operators with independent validation of the latest technologies and how much fuel they could save by adopting them on existing machines.
Transport minister Andrew Jones said: ‘We are always looking at new ways to make the vehicles on our roads cleaner, and this funding will support the freight industry to embrace the latest technology.
‘The UK’s low emission vehicle industry is a huge success story and a source of strength in our economy. Today’s announcement is further proof that the government is leading the way as global demand for these vehicles grows.’
The scheme will be funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) through Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) team works across several government departments - the Department for Transport, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Energy and Climate Change - to support the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV).
It plans to provide £900m to support the UK industry in ULEV development, manufacture and use.
