Impetus for grants towards the purchase of zero-emission coach models is highlighted by Zemo Partnership in its Delivery Roadmap for Net Zero Transport in the UK. Zemo has the ear of policymakers and its intervention is significant, albeit certainly not the first in that field.
A new political broom could mean greater understanding than before. Zero-emission coaches are expensive, but the coach sector’s size means that a modest pot for grants would make a difference.
Tier one European brands Iveco and Mercedes-Benz recently debuted battery-electric models in what might be considered the ‘school coach’ field. Neither are likely to come to the UK, but they follow hydrogen-powered coaches in the more general parc from Irizar and Temsa.
Do those developments suggest that the zero-emission coach tide is turning for builders beyond China? Undoubtedly so. But those products will cost significantly more than a diesel, and the matter of where to charge or fill them exists regardless of upfront price.
But Zemo believes that the UK can take leadership in zero-emission coaches if buyers are assisted in purchasing them. The equivalent position is already in play for buses, where uptake sits well above other nations in Western Europe, as minister Simon Lightwood recognises.
The second round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus fund shows how a pragmatic approach can deliver. Several SMEs will gain their first battery-electric coaches as a result.
The UK government needs to pay attention to that, listen to the growing cadre of those with understanding of zero-emission in coach, and consider how it sensibly supports that shift.
Zemo Partnership Roadmap here.
