Post by wirewiper on Jul 3, 2023 11:09:16 GMT
Richard Holden, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, used the official launch of Metrobus's hydrogen-powered Kite buses in Crawley on 29th June to announce that the and-date for sales of new non-Zero Emission buses is to be announced "in the next few months". The likely date could be anywhere between 2025 and 2032.
The Climate Change Committee, in a report to Parliament published a few days previously, is advocating the development of a comprehensive policy package which would allow the bus industry to work towards the end date and provide certainty to operators and manufacturers. The CCC is also calling for an infrastructure strategy including depot and opportunity charging, and hydrogen refuelling.
The IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) has also produced a report, calling for the sale of new diesel buses to be phased out by 2030. A surprising recommendation in the report is that the Government makes it clear that [battery-] electric vehicles are to be preferred over hydrogen. Amongst the supporting reasons are the steady ongoing decarbonisation of the electricity supply industry, as against "serious concerns" about the low-carbon credentials of hydrogen production. The Government has replied, stating that it will keep an open mind on this issue for now. The IPPR is also calling for a further £2.5 billion of ZEBRA funding in England to extend the scheme to 2030, and is further suggesting that only ZE buses should be purchased new for urban areas going forward from now.
www.route-one.net/news/end-date-for-new-non-ze-bus-sales-to-be-defined-soon/
The CCC Report: www.theccc.org.uk/publication/2023-progress-report-to-parliament/
The IPPR Report: www.ippr.org/files/2023-06/a-smooth-ride-june-23.pdf
The Climate Change Committee, in a report to Parliament published a few days previously, is advocating the development of a comprehensive policy package which would allow the bus industry to work towards the end date and provide certainty to operators and manufacturers. The CCC is also calling for an infrastructure strategy including depot and opportunity charging, and hydrogen refuelling.
The IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) has also produced a report, calling for the sale of new diesel buses to be phased out by 2030. A surprising recommendation in the report is that the Government makes it clear that [battery-] electric vehicles are to be preferred over hydrogen. Amongst the supporting reasons are the steady ongoing decarbonisation of the electricity supply industry, as against "serious concerns" about the low-carbon credentials of hydrogen production. The Government has replied, stating that it will keep an open mind on this issue for now. The IPPR is also calling for a further £2.5 billion of ZEBRA funding in England to extend the scheme to 2030, and is further suggesting that only ZE buses should be purchased new for urban areas going forward from now.
www.route-one.net/news/end-date-for-new-non-ze-bus-sales-to-be-defined-soon/
The CCC Report: www.theccc.org.uk/publication/2023-progress-report-to-parliament/
The IPPR Report: www.ippr.org/files/2023-06/a-smooth-ride-june-23.pdf