Select committee: Transport Committee
Conclusion 6
Third Report - Fuelling the future: motive power and connectivity
Published 2 Mar 2023
Paragraph 51
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Fuelling the future: motive power and connectivity All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
All the propulsion alternatives have a significant role to play so the Government needs to stop demonising specific technologies that could really help. Addressing the existing fleet will be decisive in achieving the UK’s climate goals. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions right now by the use of increasing quantities of drop- in sustainable fuels enables us to address the existing fleet and minimise cost (and carbon emissions) through the use of existing infrastructure. It would also enable more socially equitable access to carbon reduction technologies for everyday transport as it would not be necessary to buy a new electric car and have access to charging infrastructure. However, sustainable fuels still produce emissions at point of use so offer no ‘apparent’ benefit in the current, misleading, legislative framework. 44 Fuelling the future: motive power and connectivity We need a mechanism to enable the carbon savings associated with sustainable fuels to count, which would incentivise investment, drive down costs and offer a better- managed and complementary set of solutions.
From: Transport Committee, Third Report - Fuelling the future: motive power and connectivity (HC 159), paragraph 51, 2 March 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 15 June 2023 (deadline 2 May 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts or agrees with some recommendations on charging infrastructure, HGVs, maritime and rural transport, but disagrees with those favouring plug-in hybrids, sustained non-electric cars and a broader technology approach, saying the end goal "must be zero exhaust emissions".
- On electrification and plug-in hybrids, the government "disagrees with this recommendation", saying ZEVs are crucial to net zero and research shows EVs lower lifecycle emissions compared with plug-in hybrids.
- On sustainable fuels, it "recognises the merit" in drop-in fuels but does not agree the legislative framework is misleading; it will set out a low carbon fuels strategy "later this year".
- It agrees to publish its Future of Transport Rural Strategy and "will look to do so in the coming months", and agrees to publish a long-term HGV decarbonisation strategy.
- On rail, it "partially agrees": Great British Railways Transition Team will bring forward costed options for consideration "before any plan can be developed".