Major electric HGV charging scheme completed across live logistics hubs

Energy solutions provider VEV has delivered the first tranche of a planned 22MW of high-power charging capacity across three logistics hubs operated by Maritime Transport, establishing one of the UK’s largest heavy goods vehicle (HGV) charging infrastructure deployments.

image: Maritime Transport

The 18 high-powered DC chargers installed to date at depots in Wakefield, Tilbury and Doncaster support simultaneous charging for up to 36 electric trucks. Once fully operational, the infrastructure will power a fleet of 56 electric HGVs across 13 depots, each expected to travel around 120,000 kilometres annually using renewable energy.

The project forms part of Maritime Transport’s wider “Maritime Zero” initiative, backed by the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, which aims to establish a commercially viable pathway to zero-emission freight.

VEV was responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the scheme, including site design, power systems engineering, civil works and integration with its smart energy management platform. The system enables real-time monitoring, load balancing and optimised charging schedules to maintain operational efficiency.

The company said the HGVs are expected to achieve ranges of between 300 and 500 kilometres per charge, depending on operating conditions, making them suitable for regional distribution and intermodal freight movements.

Tom Williams, Deputy CEO at Maritime Transport, said, “We’ve got big ambitions on electrification, and this is a massive step forward from pilot phase into operational reality within our network. The infrastructure now in place gives us the capacity and confidence to expand our electric fleet as part of our long-term strategy to run the cleanest full-load supply chain in the UK.”

Marcelo Soares, VP Customers and Partnerships at VEV, said, “Heavy freight is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise due to the scale of power required and the operational intensity of fleets. Delivering 5MW of charging capacity across live logistics depots shows that electric HGV infrastructure can now be deployed at a meaningful scale in the UK. This is not a pilot. It is real operational infrastructure.”