The Aldersgate Group and the Renewable Energy Association (REA) are calling for a clear government plan to help more businesses invest in electric trucks.
According to a new co-produced report, Ready to Move: a framework for decarbonising UK HGVs, electric truck adoption in the UK is being held back by costly grid connections, electricity prices and financing risks.
As such, the organisations are calling for a single government transition plan built around three priorities: a clear long-term framework, finance that reduces risk for operators, and grid and charging infrastructure planned ahead of demand.
GB-registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) carried 1.53 billion tonnes of goods around the UK in 2025. HGVs also accounted for around 17% of domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, yet only 0.3% of the UK’s licensed HGV fleet was zero-emission at the end of June 2026.
New SMMT figures show zero-emission trucks made up just 1.1% of new HGV registrations in the third quarter of 2026. The average UK diesel price also passed £2 a litre for the first time in early October, according to the RAC.
“Record diesel prices have shown how exposed our supply chains are to fuel price shocks,” said Rachel Solomon Williams, executive director at the Aldersgate Group. “Electric trucks are already delivering for British businesses, and the challenge is to make that possible for more operators.
“As government decides its next steps after the 2026 consultation on HGV decarbonisation, it has an opportunity to connect future regulation with affordable power, charging infrastructure and finance that reduces risk, which would cut emissions and make supply chains more resilient.”
Drawing on discussions with businesses across the freight and energy value chain, the report recommends:
· A clear long-term framework: retain the 2035 and 2040 phase-out trajectory for new non-zero-emission HGV sales, publish a single transition roadmap and define a clear, time-limited role for low carbon fuels to unlock short-term carbon savings where zero-emission vehicles are not yet viable. Any sales mandate should follow a carefully set trajectory reflecting vehicle capability, infrastructure and commercial viability.
· Finance that reduces risk: develop targeted residual value and SME loan guarantees through the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank, alongside consistent battery-health information for lenders and second-hand buyers, and help smaller operators access competitively priced electricity.
· Infrastructure planned ahead of demand: include freight in energy and network planning, invest ahead of need at logistics hubs and freight corridors, improve grid-connection processes and support shared charging and battery storage where these reduce costs.
Businesses involved in the report warned that freight has been largely left out of national planning for future electricity demand, which has focused on other users such as data centres. Without that planning, operators face slow and expensive grid connections, which for many depots cost substantially more than the charging equipment itself. Current grants mainly cover the equipment, creating a postcode lottery that favours operators who already have enough grid capacity.
“Freight needs to be part of energy planning now,” added Trevor Hutchings, chief executive at the REA. “Operators cannot invest confidently without knowing where charging will be available, when they can connect and what electricity will cost.
“Planning capacity ahead of demand, backing shared charging and battery storage, and clarifying the role of low carbon fuels in the interim would help more businesses make the move.”
The report is published ahead of the Autumn Budget on 28 October and the government’s response to its consultation on a new HGV CO2 emissions regulatory framework.
The Aldersgate Group and the REA want government to follow the consultation with a transition roadmap that sets clear responsibilities and milestones across departments. The Budget is an immediate opportunity to start addressing finance and electricity costs.
