The recently launched eFREIGHT 2030 trial will see electric HGVs pushed to their limit and prove they have a place in logistics fleets in the next decade, according to Angus Webb, the chief executive of the project’s planning software provider Dynamon.
The eFREIGHT 2030 project aims to demonstrate what electric HGVs can do in real world conditions by taking on roles that diesel trucks usually complete.
He said: “It is about stress testing them in hard working environments in which they will have to deliver results. The trial will prove what happens when you max out e-HGVs on a daily basis.”
Funded by DfT in partnership with Innovate UK, the £63m trial includes Expect Distribution, Kuehne+Nagel, Maritime Transport, Menzies Distribution, Welch’s Transport and Wincanton Group, retailer Marks & Spencer, vehicle manufacturers DAF Trucks, Renault Trucks and Scania Trucks, with charging infrastructure providers Voltempo Group and Fleete Group.
Dynamon is providing the software which will allow all other partners to put the right components in place over the next 18 months before the on-the-road trials begin, including installing charge points in the correct place, choosing the right tractors and trailers, planning routes and identifying suitable work schedules.
