Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 35
35
Accepted
Impact of heavier electric HGVs on road infrastructure and bridges remains unevaluated.
Recommendation
We asked the Department about the impact of heavier electric vehicles on road infrastructure. The Department told us that main roads are built to withstand a maximum vehicle weight (gross vehicle weight) of 44 tonnes, and although unclassified roads are built to a wide range of differing standards, the impact will not be significant with the weight of an electric car still less than a lorry. However, it has recognised that the risks are more related to electric buses and heavy good vehicles (HGVs). Given the maximum weight roads and bridges can take, and the heavier weight of electric-powered HGVs, this may reduce the payload HGVs can take and the sector is campaigning to allow heavier vehicles on the road to compensate. The Department told us that no decisions have been made about whether to increase the maximum weight that road infrastructure is expected to support and, if it does increase, how much that could cost to implement particularly in relation to bridges.77
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation to refresh the Code of Practice by September 2026, commissioning TRL to scope updated guidance that will implicitly consider the impact of heavier electric vehicles on road infrastructure.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: September 2026 6.2 The government agrees that the current guidance that has been provided to local highway authorities through the ‘Code of Practice for Well Managed Highway Infrastructure’ document should be refreshed. The department has commissioned TRL to work with the sector to develop a scope for the refreshed guidance regarding where there may be gaps in the current guidance, such as around some environmental matters. The department will consider further whether, and if so how, local highway authorities might be required to comply with certain best practice criteria set out in the revised guidance to qualify for some or all of the funding. 6.3 The update to the code of practice is currently estimated to take between 12 and 18 months, so it will not be feasible to link it to the incentive element directly, which will be in place from quarter one in financial year 2025-26.