The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed that the UK market for electric buses and trucks is seeing major growth.
Registrations for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the bus sector rose by a third during Q2 2024, in which 424 new ZEV buses were registered. The UK is currently the largest ZEV bus market by volume in Europe, followed by Italy, Germany and France. A crucial element in the growth of ZEV buses is government funding, including England’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area funding and the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund; almost a quarter (23.2%) of new ZEV bus purchases in Q1 2024 were supported by government funding.
Analysis from the SMMT suggests that buses could reach net zero before any other vehicle sector; as buses have depot-based, circular and consistent routes, the transition to ZEVs is far more straightforward for bus fleets than for private cars or trucks.
Commenting on these new figures, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Fleets continue to go green in rising numbers: with suitably ambitious incentives and infrastructure is in place, buses and the communities which depend on them could be the UK’s first to reach net zero.”
Growth in ZEV truck sector despite poor infrastructure
Meanwhile, the truck market is also seeing massive growth in ZEV uptake.
SMMT figures show that ZEV truck uptake rose by 30% in Q2 2024, but the market share of ZEV trucks remains concerningly low.
Read more: Current+
