Updates from Innovate UK and from all four projects involved in the major government-funded initiative to assess the real-world use case of zero-tailpipe-emission trucks and supporting infrastructure.

• HyHAUL: An ambitious initiative to establish the UK’s first dedicated hydrogen mobility corridor and proving the feasibility and scalability of hydrogen in heavy-duty freight operations. It will deploy up to 30 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks (FCET), with the majority being 40-tonne-plus HGVs, a dedicated fleet hydrogen transport system and three state of the art hydrogen refuelling stations capable of dispensing up to two tonnes per day.

• eFREIGHT 2030: The eFREIGHT 2030 consortium is introducing 100 electric HGV 4×2 and 6×2 tractor units, and 32 new charging locations with 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. Work on the eFREIGHT 2030 project began in early 2024 and will take seven years to complete.

• ZEN Freight: a consortium of truck manufacturers (DAF, Mercedes, Scania, Iveco and Volvo), freight operators (Stobart, Maritime Transport, DFDS, Great Bear and Gregory Distribution) and data analytics experts (Imperial College and Dynamon) working together to accelerate the decarbonisation of HGVs. Unique amongst the four projects in that is conducting parallel demonstrations with both battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell heavy goods vehicles. As well as demonstrating up to 78 vehicles, to be on the road by March 2026, the consortium will develop a nationwide network of electric charging and hydrogen refuelling locations across its 25 depots and 7 fleets.

• Electric Freightway - This £100m-plus project aims to lay the foundations for the biggest and most advanced electric truck charging network in the world. It will run until 2030 with a fleet of eHGVs on the roads supported by new charging infrastructure at motorway service areas and commercial depot charging stations.

Speakers: Steffan Eldred, Innovation Lead – Zero Emission Vehicles, Innovate UK; Kyle Arnold, MD, HyHAUL; Michael Boxwell, CEO, Voltempo Group; Angus Webb, CEO, Dynamon; Sam Clarke, Commercial Lead, GRIDSERVE; Simon Buckley, Knowledge Transfer Manager, Innovate UK Business Connect