Government urged to take action to unlock hydrogen potential

The Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA) is calling for urgent government action to unlock hydrogen’s potential in UK land transport, in partnership with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA.

The group is calling on the UK Government to act swiftly to ensure options are kept open for hydrogen's role in decarbonising the nation’s heavy transport sector.

In a joint letter sent to government ahead of the forthcoming refresh of the UK Hydrogen Strategy, the three organisations highlighted hydrogen’s potential to play a critical role in delivering a practical and affordable pathway to net zero for high-utilisation and hard-to-electrify land transport applications - including HGVs, long-distance coaches, utility vans, construction plant, emergency service fleets, and parts of the rail sector.

The letter follows a recent cross-sector workshop convened by the HEA, which brought together vehicle operators, technology providers, financiers, and industry associations.

Participants identified that battery-electric solutions alone are not sufficient to meet the operational requirements of the heavy transport sector and that urgent action is required to ensure that the opportunity for the economic value and decarbonisation potential in these applications is not lost.

They found that relative to its population size, the UK has significantly fewer hydrogen refuelling stations than the European average: the UK currently has fewer than six in regular operation, compared to around 100 across Europe. At least 12 to 13 strategically located stations along key freight corridors, plus focussed support for back-to-base hubs, are urgently needed, to make sure the UK is not left behind.

They highlighted how hydrogen fuel provides rapid refuelling, high uptime, payload efficiency, cold-weather reliability, and off-grid operation - all of which are essential for keeping freight, utilities, and construction moving and productive. The workshop also identified important use cases where hydrogen could deliver significant overall cost advantages over battery-electric vehicles in key sectors, while mitigating against costly grid and electricity system upgrades which will support UK supply chain growth, skilled jobs, and export opportunities.

In their recommendations, the HEA, RHA, and CPA have called on government to recognise hydrogen’s economic and strategic value for energy security, industrial growth, and decarbonisation, with consistent cross-departmental messaging.

They recommend the government publishes a national roadmap for hydrogen fuel and refuelling infrastructure to provide market certainty and attract private investment, as well as introduce hydrogen demand targets to stimulate supply chains and support security of supply.

They also for mechanisms to bridge the early cost gap between hydrogen fuel and diesel, and to ensure all hydrogen transport solutions, including internal combustion engine hydrogen, are supported under the ZEV mandate and other net zero policies.

The concern expressed in the joint letter is that without urgent action, the UK risks over-reliance on battery-electric solutions, which could lead to significant grid constraints, rare earth dependency, reduced fleet productivity, and loss of competitiveness to international markets already scaling hydrogen deployment.

The HEA and its partners have offered to convene a cross-sector taskforce with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Transport to present case studies, international examples, and investment requirements. A full report of findings will be published later this year.

Dr Emma Guthrie, CEO of the HEA, said: “Hydrogen is not just an energy solution - it is an economic opportunity. With the right policy support, the UK can decarbonise heavy transport without compromising productivity, while also creating jobs, strengthening energy security, and positioning itself as a global leader in hydrogen technology.”

^{Image shows Dr Emma Guthrie, CEO of the HEA.}