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LONDON — The British government’s reserve tanker fleet was being deployed Sept. 29 to help deliver gasoline to empty pumps across the U.K., and military drivers will begin operating tankers in the coming days to ease the country’s fuel supply crisis, a top official said.

When the first snub-nosed, electric van rolled off the assembly line Sept. 28 at the Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc. plant in Mishawaka, Ind., it was a proud moment for the company’s co-founder and CEO, Jim Taylor. The van, one in a run of 1,000 scheduled for this year, is among the first of its kind in the U.S. market: a fully electric, light-duty vehicle meant for delivery workers, contractors and other commercial fleets.

LONDON — Long lines are snaking down streets across the U.K. as drivers struggle to fill up their cars, causing widespread traffic misery and worries over whether emergency services can do their work.

European energy markets from natural gas to carbon permits jumped to records, signaling the supply shortage will get worse just as the winter season starts. Stockpiles of everything from gas to coal and Norwegian water for electricity production are dwindling and there are few signs the situation will improve anytime soon as demand continues to roar back from a pandemic-driven lull.

The national average price for diesel rose 2.1 cents to $3.406 a gallon, the first time it has eclipsed $3.40 in nearly seven years, according to Energy Information Administration data released Sept. 27.

Boris Johnson caved in to industry demands to issue visas to foreign truck drivers, as a crisis that has led to panic-buying at gas stations and empty supermarket shelves threatens to undermine his government.

Retail fuel outlets such as truck stops and gas stations say they are seriously weighing investment in electric vehicle chargers, but face such challenges as customer “range anxiety,” high utility charges for electricity and political policy uncertainties.

OPEC and its allies can likely continue reviving oil production, two key Middle East members said as the group prepares to consider its next supply hike.

Truck tonnage in August notched its first sequential monthly gain in five months, and dipped just slightly on a year-over-year basis, American Trucking Associations said.

The national average price of diesel increased 1.3 cents to $3.385 a gallon one week after remaining virtually unchanged, according to Energy Information Administration data released Sept. 20.