UK: new diesel trucks gone by 2040

Timed to coincide with the ongoing COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, the British Government has announced that no new fossil-fuel-powered heavy vehicle will be sold in the nation from 2040.

The announcement complements Britain’s alternative fuel transition roadmap for the phase-out of new petrol and diesel passenger cars and vans by 2030, and means that all new road vehicles sold there will be zero emission within the next two decades.

The measure sees Britain become the world’s first nation to commit to phasing out new non-zero emission heavy vehicles with a GVM of 26 tonnes or under by 2035, with all new heavy trucks sold in the UK to be zero emission by 2040.

The announcement was made following the publication of new research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, commissioned by the UK COP Presidency, that found that 31 per cent of the global passenger vehicle market is now covered by vehicle manufacturer commitments to end sales of fossil fuel-powered vehicles, up from a near zero share of the market at the start of 2021.

Zero-emission vehicles are projected to account for 70 per cent of all new car sales in 2040, which is a doubling of the forecast over the last five years.

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The British Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, said the transition to a zero-emissions transport network was needed, and needed with pressing urgency.

“From our roads to the skies, the transition to zero-emission transport has reached a tipping point,” he said.

“We know that transport plays a key role saving the planet from warming above 1.5°C, which is why this is the COP that will kick-start our ambition for zero-emission aviation and why I’m proud to be uniting world leaders to tackle climate change – creating new opportunities for clean growth, green jobs and improved air quality right across the globe,” he said.