Gridserve opens charging test lab to support HGV infrastructure

Gridserve has opened an EV charging test lab to improve standards and support the Electric Freightway programme, part of the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID), in developing a charging network for electric trucks.

Located at Gridserve’s Swindon innovation and operations centre, the lab has high power and medium power EV chargers to test. In the future, the facility will be able to test megawatt-capable (MW) charging on certain vehicles, like the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 pictured.

Alongside testing existing systems, the site will be used to test pre-production vehicle prototype charging interfaces, to assess battery energy storage systems (BESS) and trial larger format charging bay layouts.

Pete Bishop, chief technology officer at Gridserve Technologies, said: “Given the importance of eHGV charging infrastructure for the country’s industrial strategy, and the nascent nature of electric HGVs, the industry will need to constantly appraise existing charging technology, design new solutions and test robustly. That is what the EV charging test lab enables us to do.”

Gridserve’s existing electric charging infrastructure for passenger vehicles has been supported by lab testing to boost reliability. As electric trucks become more commonplace over the coming years, a robust truck charging infrastructure is vital to support this transition. 

Through its ZEHID commitment to the Electric Freightway programme, Gridserve will install 200 eHGV chargers across 30 locations with at least two 1MW-capable chargers. Working towards this goal, Gridserve is establishing suitable locations, site plans, permissions and grid connections to propose the best places to build out the eHGV charging network. A report on suggested locations will be published in an Electric Freightway report later this year. 

Sam Clarke, Chief Vehicle Officer at Gridserve, said: “This bespoke facility shows our commitment to deliver the world’s most reliable EV charging ecosystem for all electric vehicles. 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.”