How road haulage is navigating the route to net zero

Urban vehicles are already transitioning to electric, so much so that Cebon says within the next 10 years we'll "wonder why on earth we ever drove diesel trucks in cities".

But long-haul freight is a much more difficult challenge, as Cebon explains:

"Suitable electric vehicles are available now for most applications, but the batteries are heavy and they need to charged within the logistics day so that they don't add time and cost," he says.

"That adds many challenges and means the major issues facing the industry are actually about energy supply, charging infrastructure and logistics: not about the vehicles or technology."

The Centre is currently leading the Joint Operators Logistics Trial (JOLT), which is a collaborative project designed to explore how transport operators can move quickly and cost-effectively to an electric vehicle norm for heavy road freight operations in the UK.

The programme is based on two guiding principles, firstly that by sharing data with their collaborators, partners will maximise their learning; and secondly, that by sharing capital assets with their collaborators, partners will minimise their costs.