The purpose of the Electric Freightway demonstration project, launched in October 2023, has been see how feasibly and quickly hauliers can introduce battery electric vehicles into their fleets, as well as provide them with support.
Funded by the Department for Transport, and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, the consortium of industry partners including Gridserve and Hitachi, have now released a one-year report on progress so far.
As part of the programme, Gridserve has committed to installing 200 eHGV High Power chargers across 30 public and private sites, including two 1MW-capable chargers.
Over the past year, the EV charging specialist said it has extensively consulted on eHGV charging infrastructure and has now designed both depot-based and public high-power charging stations.
Designs have progressed for public and depot charging sites, and sites will begin opening, likely in phased deployments, early to mid-2025, potentially at Motorway Service Areas.
Following a review of available options, ABB chargers have been chosen for the initial Electric Freightway public sites, but other chargers are under review for the future.
Gridserve has also opened a dedicated EV charging test lab, based at its Innovation and Operations Centre in Swindon.
The lab features a variety of High Power and Medium Power EV chargers, with plans to incorporate megawatt-capable (MW) charging testing in the future.
This facility enables Gridserve to test pre-production vehicle prototypes, assess battery energy storage systems, and trial larger format charging bay layouts.
Sam Clarke, Chief Vehicle Officer at Gridserve said: “Access to a controlled site like this will be invaluable for developing and delivering eHGV charging infrastructure at the speed and scale necessary to address the climate emergency, while ensuring an equitable transition into electrification for the UK haulage industry.
“We are in the process of creating a viable eHGV network at the lowest possible cost, in the fastest possible time frame, all with fleet managers and operators in mind.
“Since the last report we have made tangible progress, and have conducted extensive planning and preparations to deliver our first milestones of getting eHGVs on the road, and charging stations deployed.”
In early May, food transport haulier A.F. Blakemore and Son introduced the first two Volvo FM Electric tractor units at its Bedford depot, delivering goods to Spar stores and other retailers in the South East of England.
The operator is also providing the project with data from two further eHGVs based at Willenhall in the West Midlands.
A total of 18 eHGVs have been delivered to consortium partners so far – including to Samworth Brothers, Boughey and United Utilities – with orders placed for over 70 more.
Caoire Blakemore, Responsible Business Director at A.F. Blakemore and Son, said: “The addition of these electric HGVs demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental impact.
“We believe this is just the beginning of our journey towards becoming a net zero carbon company by 2040 and we are excited to see the positive impact these vehicles will have on our operations and the environment.”
Meanwhile, Hitachi has developed a data analytics platform that can objectively compare the operational performance of diesel HGVs to eHGVs for operators.
The company has also interviewed senior managers and drivers of HGVs ahead of electric truck deliveries to understand views on perceived benefits like reduced noise and environmental impact, and concerns about how range and access to charging may impact daily operations.
Leon Clarke, Head of Operations and Delivery at Hitachi ZeroCarbon said: “Our analysis of environmental benefits alongside total cost of ownership will help provide a strong investment case for future eHGV deployments.
“We fundamentally believe that smart, actionable data can underpin enhanced battery health, fleet route planning and charging sessions, and so accelerate the path to electrification.
“We are enabling logistics companies to compare total cost of ownership to make the investment case for transitioning their fleets to EVs.
“We’re excited about using our platform to draw analysis from real-world eHGV demonstrations and prove its benefits throughout the project lifecycle.”
About 140 electric trucks will end up on the road as a result of the project, operating in a range of scenarios, including on more challenging longer routes.
Consortium partners have committed to operate the trucks and chargers, as well as report back their data for a period of five years.
The report notes that space, power and safety are the three interconnected – and sometimes conflicting – issues that constrain what is possible on sites.
It also states that the depot planning phase is complex and needs to be planned and resourced accordingly.
“Timing vehicle orders to coincide with less predictable infrastructure installations can be a challenge, but interim charging solutions are available”, the report adds.
“Senior managers surveyed are largely positive towards the eHGV technology, possibly due to their greater experience owning and driving EVs.”
While public and depot charging are the two core modes being implemented, the Electric Freightway, consortium partners expect a range of options to develop.
These include the growth of shared depots where hauliers make their facilities available to their peers, allowing a depot-like experience at locations where operators do not have their own depot, and making more efficient use of limited connections and charging infrastructure.
Locations in other sectors, such as bus depots may also make their facilities available to selected partners when not in use.
The report also said that the availability of destination site charging at customer premises should be encouraged, taking advantage of the time that HGVs spend loading and unloading to top up their charge.
However, routes will need to be carefully analysed to determine the amount of infrastructure needed and the most appropriate approach to charging.
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Electric HGVs will play a large part in the future of our freight industry, so it’s fantastic to see the successes of the projects detailed in this report.
“A greener transport network is a key priority for this Government, which is why our demonstrator programme aims to scale up zero emission HGVs and install the right infrastructure to decarbonise road freight. This is an excellent example of industry and government collaborating to reach net zero.”
