Developing a charging network for electric Heavy Goods Vehicles
By 2040, all new Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) will be zero emission. Ahead of this deadline, GRIDSERVE is leading a £100 million+ consortium (including £62.7m of UK government support) to lay the foundations for one of the biggest and most advanced charging networks designed specifically for electric Heavy Goods Vehicles (eHGVs). This industry-leading project, funded as part of the Department for Transport and Innovate UK-backed Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme, will be known as ‘Electric Freightway’ and will run until 2030.
Decarbonising the heavy goods sector is critical for net zero
The heavy goods sector currently accounts for just under 20% of the UK’s transport CO2 emissions despite doing a fraction of the mileage of cars. If the 400,000 HGVs on UK roads today were switched to electric, the potential saving is 18.6 Mt CO2e – the same as powering two million homes for a year.
Consortium objectives
- eHGV charging hubs installed at motorway service stations and truck stop locations
- More than 10 commercial depot charging locations for eHGVs
- Over 200 chargers capable of delivering 350kW
- Trial of two 1-megawatt chargers
- Infrastructure to be supplied by 100% net zero energy
- Around 140 eHGVs to be used by UK-based companies to use the network
- Data collection will run for five years
Our consortium members
- Hitachi ZeroCarbon
The principal partner will collate, analyse and report on data throughout the project, leveraging experience from similar EV demonstration projects such as Optimise Prime. The reports and outputs will inform stakeholders, the wider market and ideally government policy to drive the further decarbonisation of commercial fleets.
- A.F.Blakemore and Son Ltd
- Amazon UK Services Ltd
- Fergusons Transport Ltd
- Kuehne + Nagel Ltd
- Maritime Transport Ltd
- Royal Mail
- United Utilities Water Ltd
These hauliers will purchase or lease eHGVs from the project’s vehicle manufacturer partners to use them in their business-as-usual operations whilst utilising the combination of new Motorway Service Area and depot charging infrastructure. Feedback and data will be collected from these vehicles along with information on routing and scheduling to inform the project on an ongoing basis.
- Moto Hospitality Ltd
- DCC Energy UK Ltd
- British Land Company PLC
- Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd
Chargers will be installed on well used motorway routes across the UK and also at depot and truck stop locations. These members of the consortium offer motorway service locations frequently used by hauliers, busy depots at factory sites and HGV dedicated truck stops during transitionary phases of routes. Data and feedback will be gathered as part of the project.
- Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC
- PACCAR Financial PLC
- Volvo Financial Services UK
These consortium members will lease vehicles to the hauliers involved in the project,
offering an alternative solution to outright purchase of the vehicles.
- Volvo Trucks UK Ltd
- Renault Trucks UK Ltd
- DAF Trucks Ltd
The eHGVs will be sourced from multiple manufacturers for hauliers to purchase or lease from the leasing providers involved in the project.
A suite of hauliers and affiliated companies will also engage in the project indirectly via the named consortium members above. More details will follow.
Latest news
Meet our Electric Freightway consortium members – Hitachi ZeroCarbon
Hitachi ZeroCarbon, a division of Hitachi
Read more
Opinion: The Electric Freightway is our opportunity to embrace logistics transformation
The decarbonisation of the UK truck
Read more
GRIDSERVE to deliver EV charging network for battery electric Heavy Goods Vehicles
Great news, folks. We’re about to
Read more