A £20m government competition to boost low and zero emission technology in the UK freight and logistics industries has given funding to twenty projects, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced last week.
There were more than 40 applicants. The successful projects under the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial include schemes to increase battery range for electric vehicles, trial hydrogen dual-fuel technology for freight lorries, and pilot the use of biogas to fuel heavy duty vehicles.
DfT said the projects, which should appear on UK roads this year, would help to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality. The freight industry currently accounts for around 30 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions from transport.
Transport Minister John Hayes said the funding was “another important step towards this government’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport to help tackle climate change”.