Question reference: S6W-26536
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 28 March 2024
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to work with the UK Government to develop "an infrastructure strategy for deploying the required charging and refuelling infrastructure for zero-emission HGVs", in light of the Climate Change Committee’s recommendation in its 2023 Report to Parliament.
Answer
In May 2022 Transport Scotland convened the Zero Emission Truck Taskforce comprising senior leaders from haulage operators, the manufacturing, energy and financial sectors, government, and unions with the purpose of co-designing an ambitious pathway to HGV decarbonisation in Scotland. This pathway was published on 19 March 2024 and identifies four key challenges, including energy infrastructure, with clear actions to address them. The pathway and the evidence that supported it has been shared with the UK Government to inform the development of its HGV and coach energy infrastructure strategy.
As one of the actions within the pathway, the Scottish Government is working with academics and haulage fleets to understand where energy infrastructure will be required for trucks on longer journeys in Scotland. The UK government is aware of this work.
At the Inter-Ministerial Group meeting on transport between the four nations on 5 February, I reinforced the need for close collaboration in both the HGV energy infrastructure strategy and the zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator projects.
Scottish Government officials are participating in a series of working groups that have been set up since that ministerial meeting, working with counterparts from the UK Government and devolved administrations on issues relating to the strategy.