The Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA), in partnership with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), is calling on the UK Government to act swiftly to ensure options are kept open for hydrogen’s critical role in decarbonising the nation’s heavy transport sector.
In a joint letter sent to government ahead of the forthcoming refresh of the UK Hydrogen Strategy, the three organisations highlighted hydrogen’s potential to play a critical role in delivering a practical and affordable pathway to net zero for high-utilisation and hard-to-electrify land transport applications—including HGVs, long-distance coaches, utility vans, construction plant, emergency service fleets, and parts of the rail sector.
The letter follows a recent cross-sector workshop convened by the HEA, which brought together vehicle operators, technology providers, financiers, and industry associations. Participants identified that battery-electric solutions alone are not sufficient to meet the operational requirements of the heavy transport sector and that urgent action is required to ensure that the opportunity for the economic value and decarbonisation potential in these applications is not lost.
The associations found that, relative to its population size, the UK has significantly fewer hydrogen refuelling stations than the European average: the UK currently has fewer than six in regular operation, compared to around 100 across Europe. At least 12 to 13 strategically located stations along key freight corridors, plus focussed support for back-to-base hubs, are urgently needed to make sure the UK is not left behind.
They highlighted how hydrogen fuel provides rapid refuelling, high uptime, payload efficiency, cold-weather reliability, and off-grid operation—all of which are essential for keeping freight, utilities, and construction moving and productive. The workshop also identified important use cases where hydrogen could deliver significant overall cost advantages over battery-electric vehicles in key sectors, while mitigating against costly grid and electricity system upgrades which will support UK supply chain growth, skilled jobs, and export opportunities.
Richard Smith, Managing Director, RHA, said: “HGV and coach operators face a challenging pathway to decarbonise their fleets. As the market for zero emission vehicle technologies develops to meet the UK’s Net Zero targets, it is essential that all technology options remain on the table, including hydrogen and the use of low carbon fuels. This is particularly critical for hard-to-decarbonise use cases, such as transporting very heavy goods.”
