New funding to boost green HGVs
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• The government is trying to revive the original intentions of its flagging Reduced Pollution Certificate (RPC1 scheme by funding up to 75% of the cost of fitting law emission technology to certain trucks.
Companies running vehicles into the nine largest cities in England will qualify for funding under the new £30m Clean Up programme, launched by transport minister Lord Whitty last month.
They will be awarded a lump sum, up to 75% of the cost, if they fit particulate traps to their trucks, convert to gas power or use other clean products.
Programme manager David Lemon says that the project is not intended to replace the RPC scheme but to serve as an additional incentive: "There is so much trouble in the HGV sector that we said we would increase the incentive to 75% to make it happen."
The original intention of the RPC scheme was to help hauliers with the cost of running cleaner vehicles by giving them a VED rebate worth £1,000.
But following the Chancellor's effective halving of VED rates that rebate is also likely to be reduced. The government sees this scheme as an additional incentive.
However, in the programme's pilot stage, take up has been poor in the HGV sector with Brake Brothers the only major firm to gain funding.
A Brake Brothers spokesperson says that they are planning to fit Eminox particulate traps to a number of the COMpany's vehicles but the exact figure has yet to be finalised.