eFREIGHT 2030 consortium selected for UK Government Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator Programme
- eFREIGHT 2030 consortium of leading logistics operators, high street names and hauliers is selected to join UK Government’s Zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme.
- Secures £49.2 million of government support to help unlock an expected £500 million of private investment by consortium members in electric vehicles and charging hubs by 2030.
- Supports introduction of 100 electric HGV 4×2 and 6×2 tractor units, and 32 new charging locations with megawatt-charging capacity.
Announced today by Roads Minister, Richard Holden, at Birmingham Energy Innovation Centre, the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium has been selected to join the UK Government’s Zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme, which aims to kickstart the uptake of zero emissions heavy goods vehicles.
One of four projects being funded by the Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, eFREIGHT 2030 will receive £49.2 million in government support, which will help unlock an expected £500 million of private investment from consortium members in electric vehicles and charging hubs across the UK by 2030.
Led by Voltempo, developers of the British designed and manufactured electric HGV megawatt charging system, the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium brings together some of the UK’s leading specialist logistics providers, alongside familiar High Street names and a number of leading hauliers, all seeking to lead the way in decarbonising their operations and business sectors.
The aim of the Zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme is to stimulate the deployment of long haul zero emission HGVs with a multi-year demonstration of 40 – 44t battery electric trucks, including the development of the required business models for scalable deployment and a network of dedicated infrastructure.
The eFREIGHT 2030 consortium will introduce 100 electric HGV 4×2 and 6×2 tractor units, and 32 new charging locations, all of which will have megawatt-charging capacity from day one. As well as the nominated vehicle operators, the consortium includes a number of vehicles to be managed by the vehicle leasing company Vertellus as an extension of its EV Discovery Programme, which enables electric vehicle operation on a subscription basis. This will allow other fleet operators and SMEs to join the eFREIGHT 2030 programme as associate members of the consortium.
Alongside the vehicle and charging offer, consortium member Dynamon will bring a full data and planning service using its ZERO software package, allowing operators to both plan the most efficient use of their vehicle fleet, both diesel and electric, and analyse their business model to identify when specific vehicles or routes can be decarbonised.
Chairman of the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium and former Secretary-of-State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Sir Vince Cable said: “We are delighted that the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium has been selected to participate in the Zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme, to accelerate the EV revolution that will decarbonise heavy duty transport. eFREIGHT 2030 will create UK jobs in the industries of the future, as well as unlocking investment into zero emission electric HGVs that meet the pressing need to reduce fossil fuels and improve air quality. We recognise that to create a greener and more sustainable future for road freight transport will require success in developing different zero-emission fuels and welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the contribution which EV technology can bring to bear.”
Michael Boxwell, Group CEO of Voltempo said: “We’re delighted to bring together a group of experts in the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium with the ideas and ambition to transform the distribution sector. Their combined experience will both prove the case for today’s technology and create the path to tomorrow’s.
We look forward to 2030 when electric commercial vehicles will be commonplace on our roads, and when we can look back on the value of the Government’s investment on Zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme.”
Work on the eFREIGHT 2030 project will begin in early 2024 and take seven years to complete.
