Cars 

​How do we ensure that households and businesses across the UK's rural and island communities who are highly dependent on cars, yet face some of the highest ownership costs. can equitably adopt and use new and used electric vehicles?

Buses

Battery Electric buses are becoming a common feature in our cities and towns as a result of large investments from the UK's major operators. In rural areas this isn't the case yet where significant barriers remain including operational costs and grid capacity limitations. What investments, business models and innovations are needed to overcome these barriers?

HGVs

Food and Drink, Timber, and Construction are among the sectors in the UK's rural economy where HGVs perform a critical role in freight distribution. With many of the HGV operators being small & medium sized businesses, how should they be supported so that they plan ahead for the transition to electric HGVs that are starting to be sold commercially?  ​​​

​Tractors 

The UK has approximately 300,000 tractors in operation today with over 10,000 new registrations in 2024. While new sales are decreasing the average power is increasing with all powered by combustion engines. What does a roadmap towards low or zero emission tractors look like and what steps should businesses in the UK's tractor supply chain be taking to prepare for transition?

Excavators & Construction Machines 

Excavators and related machines are mainstays of many rural small and medium sized business operating in the agriculural and construction sectors. With operational costs increasing due to a ban on the use of red diesel and the availability of battery electric alternative machines currently limited, what transitional innovations are available that help to reduce carbon emissions?​

Forestry Machines

Businesses in the UK's Forestry sector employ a wide range of machines to fell, cut, process and load logs onto HGVs for onward transportation. They are large fuel hungry machines that are among the hardest to decarbornise. What small steps can be taken in the near term to reduce their carbon footprint? What support is needed from Government?        

Planes​

Planes play a pivotol role in supporting the people who live, work and visit islands from the Shetland Isles in the far north of Scotland to Jersey and Guernsey in the far South of England. These are short duration flights that offer the most immediate opportunities to decarbonise through public and private sector collaborations that are starting to materialise. What are the remaining technical and commercial hurdles that need to be overcome? When can we expect to see the first commercial electric flights to these islands? 

Drones/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

The UK's rural and island communities stand to derive significant social and commercial benefits from the deployment of UAVs. Innovate UK funded projects are now demonstrating that UAVs delivering medications and parcels can operate successfully between mainland and island locations. How can these early successes be translated into services that are financially self-sustaining. and create new employment opportunities for local people? 

Ferries

The vast majority of ferries that serve the UK's island communities are publically funded with many operating beyond their intended lifespan. They are powered using maritime fossil fuels that are heavily polluting and reduce air quality when moored at harbours. With battery electic ferries already operational in neighbouring countries, most notably Norway, and the Scottish Government's small vessel replacement programme committed to their introduction, what actions are needed to ensure that they are designed to operate with maximum reliability and efficiency?  

Barges 

Operating in the UK's inland and coastal waters, commercial barges are prime movers of timber, aggregates. waste materials and chemicals.  Moreover, they can help to reduce the amount of freight moved by road. Their diesel propulsion systems need to be decarbonised as part of the UK Government's wider Clean Maritime Plan but  where do they stand in the shipping decarbonisation hierarchy, and what does a transition timescale look like?   

The transition to electrified on and off-road vehicles, planes, drones. ferries and barges requires significant investment in supporting renewable energy generation, storage, and charging infrastructure. Low population densities,  grid reinforcements and civil engineeting costs, and the availability of qualifed contractors are just some of the reasons why the business case for deploying this infrastructure in rural areas can look unattractive. 

 

What practical steps can be taken to address these challenges? What role can the rural tourism and hospitality sectors play in reducing demand for public charge points through the supply of on-site chargers?   

Where will the funding and investment needed to support the transition to e-mobility in rural areas come from recoginsing the desire of Government to reduce the levels of subsidies available to support consumer and business purchases of electric vehicles, and the Local Authorities responsible for the roll out of public charging networks?  

 

The develpment of innovative financing models can help to offset the diminishing role of Government funding but what will they look like when applied in a rural context?