The second Electric Freightway report has been published by Hitachi ZeroCarbon and Gridserve. The report details the progress of the consortium as part of the zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme.
So far, eHGVs have been put into service with A.F. Blakemore and Son, Samworth Brothers, Boughey and United Utilities. Other consortium members are also expecting delivery of eHGVs. To gain actionable insights from eHGV performance compared to diesel HGVs, Hitachi ZeroCarbon has developed an analytics platform, results from which will be available in the next report.
The consortium has also made headway in designing eHGV charging stations. Depot-based and public charging facilities have been created and the first sites are expected to be live in the coming months.
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.”
Sam Clarke, commercial lead at Gridserve said: “With Electric Freightway, we are writing the rule-book on the development and deployment of public and private eHGV infrastructure in real-time. 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. This report keeps us honest and accountable, and shows our diligence in creating infrastructure which will ensure we deliver world-leading transport infrastructure that is fit for the future.”
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.”
