CV industry comes together to promote Euro VI diesel

The UK’s commercial vehicle (CV) industry came together last week at the CV Show to demonstrate the vital role Britain’s 4.8 million goods and service vehicles – and the people who drive them – play in keeping the country running.

A special display of emergency response, utility and works vehicles at Birmingham’s NEC marked the opening of the 2017 Commercial Vehicle Show, as SMMT revealed that some 1.8 million sole traders now depend on their vans for their livelihoods.

Small businesses and sole traders in particular are on the front line of the UK economy, providing services that are vital to our day-to-day lives. Further, thousands of emergency response vehicles look after health and safety, buses keep millions of people across the country mobile, while utility and delivery vans and trucks together move three times more goods than water and rail combined – contributing some £27.5 billion to the UK economy.

Almost all (96%) of these vehicles are powered by diesel, which delivers the high levels of efficiency and performance needed to transport heavy goods over long distances. On average, diesel vans use around 50% less fuel than petrols, meaning lower fuel bills for operators and affordable costs for consumers and taxpayers.

The commercial vehicle sector has invested heavily to ensure that the Euro VI diesel trucks and vans on sale today are the cleanest in history. The development of the latest low emission technology has resulted in Euro VI vehicles that have virtually eliminated particulates, while on-road tests of the latest heavy commercials show a 95% reduction in NOx over their older Euro V counterparts. These modern, low-emission vehicles play a critical part in improving air quality.

Businesses of all sizes across Britain rely on their fleet of commercial vehicles to perform tasks that keep the country running – and they are increasingly serving consumer demand for online purchasing.
The UK is now the EU’s biggest online retail sector, with consumers here buying some £67.4 billion worth of goods and services online in 2016. Commercial vehicles transported 1.52 billion tonnes of goods across the UK in 2015 – including medicines, clothing and groceries.