Hitachi said it would be the principal partner in a project that will see 140 eHGVs integrated into a charging network across 15 motorway charging sites.
Launched following the government’s announcement this week that it would invest £200m in a refuelling and electric charging programme for trucks across the country, Hitachi said it would be providing data and insights over five years.
The company said this will involve analysing routes, vehicle and charging session data, range and charging infrastructure monitoring, as well as total cost of ownership modelling, to support investment business cases for eHGV deployments.
Hitachi ZeroCarbon was chosen as the principal partner of the ‘Electric Freightway’ project announced by the department for transport.d
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The hope is that the demonstration programme will give lorry fleet operators confidence that they can invest in electric versions of their diesel counterparts.
Ram Ramachander, chief executive of Hitachi ZeroCarbon said, “Hitachi is committed to being a climate change innovator and this means bringing our next-generation technologies and strong sector expertise to the Electric Freightway project.
“Freight transport is a large contributor to global CO2 emissions, so decarbonising the sector is vital to meet net zero targets.”
The RHA has welcomed the investment and providing clarity and certainty for operators: “Delivery against the HGV phase out dates set by ministers will require close collaboration amongst the many stakeholders involved and tough decisions may be necessary such as pragmatic exemptions to these dates and tax breaks to lower costs,” added RHA MD Richard Smith.
Logistics UK said it was encouraging to see the government finally making long-awaited progress on its promises to decarbonise the sector: “However ultimately, we need this progress to be faster and support actioned promptly if we are to meet impending decarbonisation deadlines,” said Kate Jennings Logistics UK policy director.
For more stories tracking the industry journey to decarbonisation see our new Freight Carbon Zero website.
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