Project Electric Freightway

About the project

The £100 million+ Electric Freightway project aims to lay the foundations for the biggest and most advanced electric Heavy Goods Vehicle (eHGV) charging network in the world. It will run until 2030 with a fleet of eHGVs on the roads supported by a new network of charging infrastructure at motorway service areas and commercial depot charging stations. During this time the project also aims to catalyse the uptake of much larger numbers of eHGVs using Electric Freightway charging infrastructure, together with the rollout of additional charging infrastructure for eHGVs in many more locations, without the requirement for ongoing Government subsidies.

GRIDSERVE is the lead partner among over 30 companies that have come together to further the transition to net zero transport. The role as project lead involves managing and delivering the Electric Freightway programme and sourcing the vital data needed to inform further progress towards eHGV adoption. GRIDSERVE will develop, deliver and operate the eHGV charging hubs at the motorway service areas as well as managing infrastructure installations at commercial depots.

Project activities

In the initial two year procurement phase of the project, eHGV charging hubs will be installed at motorway services areas to support long distance travel around major trunk roads in the UK and opportunistic charging. The project also includes more than 10 commercial depot charging locations for eHGVs, with some of these supporting shared access for multiple fleets.

In total, around 200 chargers capable of delivering 350kW will be installed, with the new public charging infrastructure supplied by 100% net zero energy to ensure fleets are charged with net zero carbon energy.

At least 140 eHGVs will be brought into fleets by UK-based companies to use the new network, with multi-national and small businesses collaborating side-by-side. Data collection will run for five years to collate valuable insights into the electrification and operation of eHGVs to support the ongoing transition.

Benefits

Decarbonising the heavy goods transport sector is critical to achieve 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.

Project partners

• Lead: GRIDSERVE
• Principal: Hitachi Zero Carbon

Hauliers and operators:

• A.F.Blakemore and Son
• Amazon UK Services
• Fergusons Transport
• Kuehne + Nagel
• Maritime Transport
• Royal Mail
• United Utilities Water

Location partners:

• Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK)
• Moto Hospitality
• DCC Energy UK
• British Land Company

Leasing partners:

• Volvo Financial Services UK
• PACCAR Financial
• Mitsubishi HC Capital UK

OEM partners:

• DAF Trucks
• Renault Trucks UK
• Volvo Trucks UK

Consortium members
Additionally, we have a suite of hauliers plus affiliated companies that will engage in the project as Members via the named Partners above.

Project reports

Project Electric Freightway/Hitachi Zero Carbon March 2024 Report
The report published by Hitachi Zero Carbon is the first in a series of planned Project Electric Freightway reports. It outlines project commitments and the planned delivery timeline. Read the report.

Project Electric Freightway/Hitachi Zero Carbon October 2024 Report
The second Hitachi Zero Carbon report from Project Electric Freightway outlines consortium progress, including the delivery of the first project vehicles and key learnings in the designs of the first eHGV specific charging stations in the UK. Read the report.

For more information on Project Electric Freightway

For more information on the project or to request an introduction, please contact Simon Buckley, Knowledge Transfer Manager for Zero Emission Mobility.