UK’s electric HGV payload rules increasing operating costs, RHA finds

Current weight regulations are making electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) more expensive to run and less productive than their diesel equivalents, according to new research from the Road Haulage Association (RHA) in the UK.

In its recently published ‘Electric HGV Payload Loss Report‘, the RHA said operators can lose almost 12 per cent of payload capacity when running certain electric artics, forcing some fleets to use more vehicles or make additional trips to move the same volume of freight.

The RHA claims this could increase operating costs by more than £28,000 per vehicle.

Richard Smith, RHA managing director, said that while the industry is committed to decarbonisation, it must be commercially viable.

“Our research shows that current regulations are creating a structural barrier,” he said. “Without change, operators face higher costs, more vehicles on the road and reduced efficiency.

“If we want to accelerate the net-zero transition, we need the right regulatory framework in place. As things stand, it doesn’t exist.”

The UK’s Road Haulage Association has called on its government to raise the maximum authorised weight for electric HGVs from 44-tonnes to 46-tonnes and increase the permitted drive axle weight from 10.5-tonnes to 12.5-tonnes.

It also wants the UK’s Department for Transport to convene a cross-representative technical working group to assess the merits of changing authorised vehicle weights and corresponding construction and use regulations.