UK Fleets Accelerate Decarbonisation with EV Infrastructure Expansion

Welcome to Net Zero News, your daily briefing on the UK’s transition to a low‑carbon future.

Over the past year, significant strides have been made in decarbonising the UK’s transport sector, with major developments across electric charging infrastructure, fleet electrification, government incentives, and changing market dynamics.

Commercial vehicle infrastructure is advancing rapidly. In July 2025, the firm Fleete broke ground on what is expected to become the UK’s largest dedicated electric HGV charging facility, located at the Port of Tilbury in Essex. Set to become operational in December 2025, this 5MW shared‑user hub will feature 16 rapid chargers capable of supporting large fleet operations around the clock, marking a milestone in scaling up freight-sector electrification.

Simultaneously, partnerships are expanding the use of existing charging assets to serve multiple users. Earlier this year, First Charge launched by First Bus opened depot charging facilities within its network to eligible Allstar fleet card users. This collaboration brings low-cost, ultra-rapid charging (up to 360kW) into high‑density fleet operations, easing one of the key barriers to switching large vehicles to electric power.

Charging infrastructure growth is not limited to depots. Roadside and public locations continue to expand their capacity: Roadchef added six Shell Recharge 300kW ultra-rapid chargers at Chester Services on the M56 in May 2025, while Arnold Clark began a £30 million roll-out of an ultra-rapid network across Scotland and England, now offering over 240 chargers with plans to grow to 500+ across more than 100 locations.

The regulatory environment is reinforcing momentum. The Government has extended the Plug-in Van and Truck Grant through at least 2027, offering up to £25,000 in discounts supporting operators to transition to low‑emission goods vehicles. Also, the EV vans and trucks grants remain vital in unlocking cost savings of over £2,800 annually on fuel for businesses. Meanwhile, the broader zero-emission push is gaining traction: in the first half of 2025, registrations for zero-emission HGVs rose 59%, although they still represent around just 1% of total HGV registrations, highlighting both progress and the scale of the task ahead.

Further incentivisation through tax reform is on the horizon. In the 2025 Budget, the Chancellor confirmed plans to introduce a pay-per-mile charge for EVs from April 2028 to compensate for lost fuel duty revenue. Electric vans will be exempt, and EV drivers are expected to pay around 3p per mile roughly half the per-mile rate for petrol cars; anticipated to generate £1.2 billion initially. The government also pledged an additional £200 million for EV charging infrastructure and extended business rate relief for charge point operators for ten years.

Industry groups are also voicing concerns around market dynamics. In April 2025, fleet operators, leasing companies and trade bodies collectively urged the government to support the used EV market to prevent volatile residual values from undermining confidence in zero‑emission uptake.

What this means:

These developments reflect a transport sector resolutely moving toward net-zero. The expansion of depot and roadside ultra-rapid charging addresses the critical infrastructure bottleneck faced by commercial operators, enabling reliable and high-capacity EV operations. Financial incentives—ranging from grants to tax exemptions and business rate relief—are helping to reduce upfront and operational costs, nudging fleets toward electrification. Meanwhile, growing registrations of zero-emission HGVs suggest that uptake is increasing, though still small in absolute terms, and must accelerate further to meet Government targets.

The introduction of pay-per-mile taxation signals a changing fiscal landscape, one that will need careful management to ensure continued EV adoption momentum. Supporting secondary EV markets remains key to broadening access and maintaining residual value confidence.

Together, infrastructure enhancements, financial incentives, regulatory reform and market supports are forming an increasingly coherent framework for sustainable freight and fleet transport in the UK highlighting that the road to net zero is increasingly paved and navigated.

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