Government promises to clamp down on polluting vans

The government has today confirmed plans to tighten emission regulations across the haulage sector and roll out generous new incentives of up to £5,000 for new electric vehicles, as part of its long-anticipated Low Carbon Transport white paper.

The report commits the government to cut carbon emissions from transport by up to 14 per cent by 2020 as part of efforts to cut overall UK emissions by 34 per cent by the same date.

Transport secretary Andrew Adonis said the new report sets out a "long-term vision for a fundamentally different transport system in our country, where carbon reduction is a central consideration in the way we do business".

The strategy heralds a major crackdown on emissions from the logistics and haulage sector, and features a commitment to work with the EU to develop a " robust" new mechanism for regulating CO2 from new vans, as well as a pledge to introduce clear medium and long-term targets for van emissions and a mechanism to encourage the development of the ultra-low-carbon van market.

It also announces the formation of a new steering group for the freight and logistics industry, tasked with identifying means of measuring, reporting and reducing emissions across the sector.

In addition, the report provides further details of the government's plan for new incentives for electric cars, confirming that cash incentives of £2,000 to £5,000 will be made available to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with emissions of 75g CO2/km or less from 2011.

However, much of the report reiterates the government's previously announced low-carbon transport policies, including its plans to include aviation and shipping in the EU emissions trading scheme, its £100m of R&D support for low-carbon vehicles, its proposals for improved public transport and cycling networks, and its pledge to assess the viability of wider electrification of the rail network and roll out high-speed rail lines.