One of four funded projects sharing the £200 million government investment, eFREIGHT 2030 will receive £49.2 million in public funding.
Led by Voltempo, developers of the British designed and manufactured electric truck megawatt charging system, the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium will introduce 100 electric 4x2 and 6x2 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.
“We are delighted that the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium has been selected to participate in the Zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme,” said Chairman of the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium and former Secretary-of-State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Sir Vince Cable. ”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.”
“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,” added Michael Boxwell, Group CEO of Voltempo. ”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.”
