Enabling fair, future-proof road-usage charging.
As vehicles electrify and fuel duty declines, the UK needs a sustainable way to fund roads and transport. VDCN provides the underlying data and infrastructure to make usage-based charging possible, without building dozens of incompatible systems.
Why usage-based charging?
Traditional fuel taxes are tied to petrol and diesel consumption. Electric vehicles and more efficient cars pay significantly less, even when they use roads as much or more. Over time, this erodes the link between road use and the revenue needed to maintain and improve infrastructure.
A distance- or usage-based approach aligns charges more closely with actual use, vehicle type and location. VDCN gives government the trusted mileage and trip data needed to implement that fairly.
VDCN does not decide policy or tariffs. Instead, it provides the technical and data foundation that enables whatever model Parliament and governments choose – from simple per-mile charging to more sophisticated schemes that reflect time, place and vehicle characteristics.
What VDCN enables.
Distance-based charging
Per-mile or per-kilometre tariffs that apply consistently across vehicles, with different rates for classes such as cars, vans, HGVs and EVs if policy requires.
Zone & time-based pricing
Congestion or clean-air zones, peak versus off-peak pricing and other spatial policies that depend on knowing where and when vehicles move.
Exemptions & concessions
Policy rules for disabled drivers, emergency services, public transport fleets, rural concessions and other cases, all applied transparently via the same engine.
How charges are calculated.
Data collection
VDCN receives validated mileage and trip data from vehicle data providers, including distance covered, zones traversed and time periods.
Tariff application
The Tariff & Rules Engine applies the relevant tariffs based on vehicle class, keeper type, location zones and time, following regulations and policy.
Charge generation
Charges are calculated for the defined period (for example monthly), grouped at keeper level, and prepared for export as billing records.
Billing & transparency
Billing records are sent to DVLA or other authorised entities, while drivers see the same information through the VDCN Keeper Portal, including the ability to dispute charges.
Transparency for drivers and fleets.
- View vehicles registered in their name.
- See trips and mileage used for charging, with breakdowns by tariff and zone.
- Understand billing periods and historical charges.
- Raise disputes or queries about specific charges with supporting evidence.
Every charge is backed by a clear evidence trail: the underlying telemetry, tariffs and rules used to calculate it. This helps resolve disputes based on data, not guesswork, and builds trust in any road-usage charging model the UK adopts.