Renault Trucks hosted a ZEHID Partner Day on 23 July at Kinetic Studios in Corby, Northamptonshire, to introduce its first E-Tech T tractor units to road transport operators and other stakeholders.
The event brought together stakeholders from three consortia selected for funding under the UK government’s £200m Zero Emission Heavy Goods Vehicles and Infrastructure Demonstration (ZEHID) programme, along with representatives from the Department for Transport (DfT) and Innovate UK.
As part of the ZEHID programme, Renault Trucks is providing 40 fully electric 44 tonnes E-Tech T tractor units to the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium (led by Voltempo) and the Project Electric Freightway consortium (led by Gridserve). Battery electric HGVs will also be included in the ZEN Freight consortium, now led by Dynamon.
The Renault event allowed attendees, including fleet operators, to interact with Renault Trucks’ electromobility experts. Project leads from the three consortia presented progress updates. Participants also had the opportunity to test drive the new E-Tech tractor units.
Roger Clarke, Head of Electromobility & Customer Advanced Solutions at Renault Trucks UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be working with the ZEHID consortia to fast track the transition to zero emission HGVs in the UK. The arrival of the E-Tech T tractor units marks a significant milestone and we are delighted to share this achievement with our ZEHID Partners.”
He continued: ”The collaborative efforts of everyone involved in ZEHID, eFREIGHT 2030, Project Electric Freightway and ZEN Freight project are crucial in driving this transformative initiative and we look forward to seeing zero emission E-Tech T tractor units in real world applications for operators across both consortiums imminently.”
MD of Welch’s Transport, Chris Welch, was in attendance, and said it was great to “touch and feel the new E-Tech T” ahead of Welch’s taking delivery in the autumn of one of the new electric trucks. He added: ”Well done to Renault Trucks UK for putting on an informative and electricifying ZEHID partner day; it was great to catch up with other eFREIGHT 2030 consortium members and we really can’t wait until we get our first Renault E-tech T on the road.”
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood stated: “Our roads are undergoing a technological revolution, and I’m delighted that Renault Trucks is coming along on the journey. Greening our 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.”
