UK Urged to Scale Manufacturing to Capture EU Truck Market

Time’s up for the UK if it wants to lead Europe’s charge into zero-emission heavy transport. A fresh report from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) sounds the alarm: without a serious push in domestic hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen storage manufacturing—especially for medium- and heavy-duty trucks—Europe’s projected demand of roughly 100,000 hydrogen-powered lorries a year could slip right through our fingers.

Projected EU Demand and UK’s Crossroads

Europe’s Fit-for-55 climate targets have fleet operators eyeing hydrogen trucks as a go-to for industrial decarbonization. The APC’s September 2025 report, led by Dr Hadi Moztarzadeh, makes it clear: ramp up capacity now, and the UK can grab a solid slice of that market. Let manufacturing gaps, fragile supply chains and patchy parts availability fester, though, and we’ll be playing catch-up to Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Historical Milestones and Net-Zero Context

Believe it or not, hydrogen fuel cells trace back to mid-20th-century space missions, but only in the past decade have they really taken off. Since the UK’s net-zero strategy kicked off in 2021, government and industry have poured multi-billion-pound backing into green hydrogen production, cutting-edge hydrogen storage solutions and vehicle integration—key pillars of a broader sustainable energy push. The APC, set up in 2013 by public and private partners, has steered funding that underpins breakthroughs in carbon fibre and polymer tank materials and membrane electrode assemblies, building blocks for a thriving clean-energy sector.

Supply Chain and Tech Barriers

The report flags some real bottlenecks:

• Insufficient home-grown capacity for high-pressure tank fabrication with advanced composites
• A shortage of fuel cell stack assembly lines and the specialized catalysts they need
• A fragmented supplier network delaying component standardisation
• Skills gaps in high-precision manufacturing roles

Without a coordinated drive—revamping factories, upskilling the workforce and knitting suppliers together—the UK risks underdelivering on promised volumes just as demand goes through the roof.

Policy and Investment Landscape

Here’s the silver lining: ministers have already pulled big levers. The government has earmarked over £500 million for transport-focused hydrogen infrastructure, aims to hit 2 GW of low-carbon hydrogen by 2025 (rising to 5 GW by 2030), and has scrapped the Climate Change Levy on electricity used in electrolysis. If these incentives fire on all cylinders, we could see around 9,000 new jobs and nearly £4 billion in private investment by the end of the decade.

Still, the APC stresses that money alone won’t cut it. They’re calling for:

1. A national manufacturing roadmap to get OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and materials specialists aligned
2. Accelerated R&D into next-gen membrane and catalyst technologies
3. Targeted skills programmes—from apprenticeships to advanced training hubs
4. Streamlined permitting for rolling out hydrogen refuelling stations

Collateral Benefits of Scaling Up

It’s not just about claiming market share. A UK-led scale-up could deliver:

• Economic growth: thousands of high-skill jobs and billions in domestic output
• Environmental gains: slashing CO₂ from heavy-duty fleets in line with the UK’s sixth carbon budget and EU targets
• Industrial renewal: breathing new life into legacy automotive regions and boosting supply chain sovereignty
• Infrastructure kickstart: expanding hydrogen production, distribution and refuelling networks across multiple sectors

Strategic Implications

Snagging a stronghold in Europe’s hydrogen truck market isn’t just business—it’s a test of Britain’s innovation model. Move fast, and we cement our rep as a centre of excellence in industrial decarbonization. Hesitate, and we hand the advantage to mainland rivals already ploughing subsidies into gigafactories for fuel cell technology and hydrogen tanks.

It’s also a classic supply-side story: ramping up UK manufacturing of fuel cell stacks and storage systems will drive down costs, accelerate wider hydrogen infrastructure deployment, and finally make heavy-duty vehicles a commercially viable clean-energy solution.

Looking Ahead

The APC’s message couldn’t be clearer: we’re at a make-or-break moment. Government incentives, private-sector ambition and skilled talent all need to line up before Europe’s hydrogen truck fleet truly takes off. For the UK, it’s a sprint against the clock—and a host of competitors who smell the same opportunity. Will we seize it?