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Transport scale-up , Volta Trucks , builds electric trucks for sustainable cities . Its zero emission powertrains eliminate harmful pollution that causes climate change . Duncan Forrester , Chief Communications Officer at Volta Trucks , talks about the company ’ s reaction to the UK Transport Decarbonisation Plan and how big companies are using technology to change their fleet to electric .

HE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED

UK Transport Decarbonisation Plan , a blueprint to reduce the sector ’ s CO ₂ emissions to net zero , was published by the Department for Transport in late July . Among the plan ’ s initiatives , the government announced a ban on the sale of new diesel trucks under 26 tonnes by 2035 , and 2040 for those above . The target was met by mixed reactions from environmental and industry stakeholders , with some praising its intent and others doubting its deliverability .

Volta Trucks believes that the UK Government should aspire to set more aggressive targets in the race to decarbonise transport . This is particularly important as the UK looks to demonstrate global leadership in the run-up to the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference , which it ’ ll host in Glasgow this November .

Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks , Essa Al-Saleh , said : “ The publication of the UK Government ’ s Transport Decarbonisation Plan is welcome because it gives British fleet operators and buyers a level of certainty that didn ’ t previously exist . That said , the ban on internal combustion engine trucks by 2040 is nearly 20 years away , and today ’ s climate emergency cannot wait .”

Climate and emissions pressure

Following the publication of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan , two further renowned organisations published their own conclusions , re-confirming the need to reduce carbon emissions urgently . The Royal Meteorological Society published its State of the UK Climate report , stating that climate change is with us now , and that the impacts from extreme weather events are already being felt by those in UK cities . And more recently , the IPCC issued its ‘ code red for humanity ’, setting out the stark reality of the state of the planet and confirming that human influence is 90 % responsible for climate change consequences .

Surface transport , which covers goods and people moved by road , sea or rail , is the largest carbon emitting sector of the British economy , according to the UK government ’ s own climate advisory body , the Climate Change Committee , accounting for 23 % of the UK ’ s total emissions in 2019 . Within this mix , although trucks represent under 2 %

THAT SAID , THE BAN ON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE TRUCKS BY 2040 IS NEARLY 20 YEARS AWAY , AND TODAY ’ S CLIMATE EMERGENCY CANNOT WAIT .